Global Tech Leaders Converge at AICET
AICET was honored to host 58 future innovators participating in the Global Youth Inventors Summit. The delegates, representing 10 countries (including India, Indonesia, China, Mexico, the United States, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore), were led by Professor Jay Edward Mendelssohn (Professor Jake), Co-Founder of Invent Future Global. This event truly emphasized the power of global collaboration in innovation.
Learning ‘Technology for Good’ from Prof. Ben Leong
The young inventors gained invaluable insights from a special lecture by the Director of AI Centre for Educational Technologies (AICET), Prof. Ben Leong. His talk, “TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD,” focused on how technology can create positive social impact beyond purely commercial goals.
Prof. Ben showcased concrete examples of NUS’s contributions to real-world societal problem-solving:
1. Crisis Response: The ‘Swift Response’ System
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, Prof. Ben highlighted NUS’s collaboration with the Ministry of Health to build the ‘Swift Response’ system. This effort was pivotal to Singapore’s containment, demonstrating how technologists can apply expertise to enhance community safety during a crisis.
2. Social Innovation: New Eldercare Model
NUS’s ‘2021 NEW MODEL OF ELDERCARE’ demonstrated technology’s role in addressing the challenges of an aging society. Tech was utilized to improve the efficiency and accessibility of critical care services, including Active Ageing Programmes, Befriending & Buddying activities, Referral to Care Services, and Emergency Alert Response Calls.
The Power of Communication and Empathy
Prof. Ben’s lecture emphasized that the most critical factor in technology development, beyond coding skills, is communication.
‘No matter how brilliant the technology is, it cannot be a successful solution unless developers accurately understand what the end-user truly needs.”
This served as a crucial lesson for the students: empathy and strong communication skills are as vital as technical competence for any future ‘Good Tech Leader.’
AICET is committed to fostering students who are inspired to use innovation to contribute to a better world.
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