Speech by MOS Rahayu Mahzam at the Launch of KPMG and NLB’s “Read to Lead: Building an AI-Ready Mind”

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, good morning.

I would like to thank KPMG and the National Library Board for inviting me to the launch of "Read to Lead: Building an AI-Ready Mind". This is a timely initiative, as AI is advancing faster and entering more parts of our everyday lives.

Today, almost every conversation is about AI. What can it do? How quickly will it improve? What will it mean for our jobs, our children, our businesses, and our ability to know what is true? For many Singaporeans, these are no longer abstract questions. They arise when we use a chatbot to draft a message, rely on an AI summary to understand the news, wonder whether a video is real, or ask how our work will change in the years ahead.

That is why the broader issue is not AI alone. It is how we respond to technological advancement. AI is already changing how we live and work - in businesses, public services, and homes. A year ago, many of us spoke of AI mainly as a tool. Today, we increasingly experience it as an assistant, a collaborator, and in some cases, a team-mate.

We see this in Singapore today. Companies are thinking hard about how to adopt AI responsibly, while redesigning work. Workers are asking whether their skills will remain relevant. Parents are asking how their children can use technology wisely. Citizens are asking how to guard against online scams, deepfakes, and misinformation. There is excitement about what AI can make possible. But there is also unease - about trust, fairness, and whether people can keep up.

The answer is not to slow progress. It is to build the habits and capabilities to use technology well. We need to understand what AI can do and also know its limits. We need to ask better questions, check sources, exercise judgment, and retain empathy in how we decide and work with one another.

Yet these human abilities are also under pressure. We scroll, skim and react quickly. We encounter short-form content, AI-generated summaries, persuasive recommendations, and increasingly realistic synthetic media. In this environment, it becomes easier to accept information at face value. It becomes harder to pause, read carefully, and think deeply.

NLB's dipstick poll of 1,150 PMETs gives us a useful snapshot:

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   Only about 4 in 10 PMETs checked the original source of a statistic before forming an opinion - whether the statistic appeared in a news article or an AI search summary.

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   Only about 3 in 10 correctly identified the less reliable of two written passages, even though one included a fabricated citation and an unsupported claim.

These findings are a reminder that even when we know content may be AI-generated or incomplete, we may still accept it too readily. This is why discernment, judgment, and careful reading matter.

And this is why I am pleased to launch "Read to Lead: Building an AI-Ready Mind" today. This year-long initiative by KPMG and NLB promotes a culture of reading in the workplace. It also strengthens PMET capabilities in AI, information literacy, and digital literacy.

Read to Lead makes reading accessible and visible within KPMG, so staff are encouraged to build the habit and enjoy its benefits. At a time when many of us feel overwhelmed by information, reading helps us slow down. It helps us gain knowledge, widen our perspectives, and train our minds to focus.

The initiative begins with Knowledge Week, from 14 to 16 July. Over these three days, PMETs and businesses can strengthen their AI literacy, sharpen how they evaluate information, and broaden their thinking beyond their professional domains.

We have also brought NLB's digital collection within easy reach, at KPMG's display windows here at Asia Square. The recommendations range from AI and business to fiction and light reads - because building an AI-ready mind should be practical, accessible, and enjoyable.

As mentioned also by Sze Yeng, there will also be free public programmes over the next three days. Expert speakers will discuss how reading sharpens judgment and decision-making, how AI is reshaping organisational and professional risks, and what leadership and growth mean in the AI era.

In the year ahead, KPMG and NLB will continue to connect professionals with the resources, tools, and expertise to build reading and discernment capabilities. In the digital age, how well we read shapes how well we think. And how well we think is what will set us apart.

As organisations grapple with AI adoption, we must not focus only on efficiency and productivity. Many workers want to know how technology will help them do better, more meaningful work, and not leave them behind. This requires investment in human cognition, self-management, and adaptability.

It is therefore heartening to see KPMG giving thought and attention to workforce development in this way. Read to Lead sends an important signal: in an AI-enabled workplace, people remain at the centre.

So, congratulations to KPMG and NLB on the launch of this meaningful initiative. I hope it sparks a broader movement across the corporate sector - to build not only AI capability, but also the human capabilities that will help Singaporeans thrive.

Thank you.