The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore and Amazon have established a strategic partnership under the Digital for Life initiative. This collaboration seeks to enhance essential digital skills among Singaporeans, concentrating on aspects such as safe online shopping and generative AI. To achieve this, community workshops will be conducted featuring educational programs led by corporate volunteers from Amazon.sg, Amazon Payments, and AWS, with backing from IMDA.
As part of the Digital for Life campaign in collaboration with IMDA, Amazon Web Services (AWS) will also host workshops focusing on secure online buying and transactions. These workshops aim to educate Singaporeans about generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) and emerging technologies, highlighting their practical applications and promoting responsible usage.
The first AWS community workshop on generative AI was held in June 2024 with Singapore’s National Library Board, teaching attendees spanning from primary school students to seniors how to apply AI models to construct an application. These efforts support the AWS AI Spring Communities program, which focuses on AI-powered community development and is part of AWS’s recently announced flagship program, AWS AI Spring Singapore. AWS AI Spring will teach 5,000 people in AI capabilities annually from 2024 to 2026. Amazon has donated S$100,000 to the Digital for Life Fund to pursue the movement’s goals. The Singapore Government will match this donation dollar for dollar to promote digital literacy and wellbeing, as well as digital technology and inclusion efforts for vulnerable populations.
Amazon envisions a world where people can live confidently, free from the fear of falling victim to scams. To achieve this, Amazon is eager to collaborate with governments and businesses worldwide, working together to create a roadmap toward this goal. According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), frauds and cybercrime remain a big threat. In their 2023 brief, SPF noted that the number of scam and cybercrime cases climbed by 49.6% from the previous year. The survey also found that 73.0% of scam victims were teenagers, young people, and adults under the age of 50, emphasizing the significance of teaching these demographics how to protect themselves from bad actors and learn about safe online purchasing and new technologies.
Speaking about the partnership, Doreen Tan, Assistant Chief Executive of IMDA, said, “As the digital space evolves, we recognize the importance of equipping Singaporeans with the tools and skills to stay safe online. Our collaboration with Amazon builds on IMDA’s Digital Skills for Life competencies, which cover learning to transact securely and being savvy and kind online. We welcome more partners to join us in the Digital for Life movement to build a more inclusive society where no one is left behind and everyone can enjoy the benefits of the digital age”.
Meanwhile, Josen George, General Manager, Amazon APAC, stated, “Widespread education and collective action are critical armors in our fight against scams. As technology advances, bad actors will continue to find new ways to take advantage of communities. We must strive to be a few steps ahead of them by working together, sharing our knowledge, and creating a safe environment for day-to-day activities online. Amazon – including teams from Amazon.sg, Amazon Payments and AWS are proud to work closely with IMDA to further educate Singaporeans about safe online shopping and safe transactions using digital payment methods such as PayNow, as well as sharing the benefits and responsible use of new technologies such as Gen AI. Safety is the top priority in everything we do at Amazon”.
