World's second richest nation to require AI skills training for all higher education students from 2027

Education Minister Desmond Lee said announced the move on Thursday at the 120 Distinguished Speaker Series at the National University of Singapore, saying the goal is to give all students a consistent and strong foundation in AI competencies, according to The Straits Times.

Students entering institutes of higher learning from 2027 will take compulsory modules covering baseline AI skills, while current students will see their existing curricula updated to strengthen AI-related competencies.

The training will include understanding AI’s limitations and learning how to use the technology to deepen understanding rather than replace critical thinking.

Students will also learn to apply AI to problem-solving while evaluating its ethical, social and legal implications, Channel News Asia reported.

Students return to class after their recess at a secondary school in Singapore, Oct. 27, 2016. Photo by Reuters

Lee said AI would become more deeply integrated into education, but stressed that teaching methods must continue to shape how the technology is used and that AI "should never replace deep, human learning" in schools and institutes of higher learning.

He added that the "struggle of learning," including researching, questioning and grappling with ideas, remains essential to education even as "AI can shortcut or short-circuit this process."

"Ultimately, our graduates should not just be competent and confident users of AI, which are tools, powerful tools. But people who can lead it, master it, control it, steer it and question it," he said.

Singapore ranked as the world’s second-richest country in 2025 by gross domestic product per capita, with GDP per capita reaching US$90,700, according to a recent ranking by The Economist.