Singapore’s family development ministry allocates S$15M to pilot AI, technology solutions for social care
Singapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will invest S$15 million over the next three years to support the incubation and pilot deployment of emerging technology projects aimed at advancing the social care sector.
The announcement was made during the ministry’s Partners Conference, held under the theme “Better Starts with Us — Innovating Together,” according to a statement released on Thursday.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli outlined three strategic priorities for the initiative. These include strengthening preventive interventions through more systematic use of data to identify emerging social needs, expanding collaboration with universities, social service agencies, technology companies, and international partners, and using technology to enhance the capabilities of social service professionals.
The minister also stressed that the adoption of emerging technologies across the sector will be guided by human-centered design, professional oversight, transparency and explainability, as well as safe, evidence-based implementation.
Separately, MSF signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Singapore-based technology companies NCS and ST Engineering to jointly develop and pilot new technology solutions with social service agencies.
The partnerships will focus on testing early-stage technologies that require further development and validation in real-world social care environments. These efforts will complement existing mature initiatives such as CaseCentral, MSF’s case management platform, and Scribe, an AI-powered transcription and summarization tool.
NCS Chief Executive Officer Sam Liew said the collaboration combines MSF’s expertise in social services with NCS’s AI and technology capabilities to explore solutions that can safely support families and vulnerable individuals. He added that the initiative aims to reduce administrative workloads for frontline officers, allowing them to spend more time engaging directly with those in need.
ST Engineering Group President and CEO Vincent Chong said the company intends to leverage its expertise in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and mission-critical systems to help strengthen the social sector’s ability to better serve and support communities across Singapore.
