Prudential Singapore partners with IMDA to drive SMEs' adoption of Generative AI
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 27 May 2025 - Prudential Singapore ('Prudential') has launched GenAI XPonential, a new programme in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to accelerate the adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Unveiled by Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, Mr Tan Kiat How, at ATxEnterprise - an Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) event held today - the programme is in support of the Digital Enterprise Blueprint and aims to equip SMEs with practical knowledge and real-world use cases to strengthen AI adoption.
As part of the programme, SMEs will gain access to a series of up to 10 bite-sized explainer videos and up to four hands-on workshops co-created and hosted by Prudential and its Talent Engagement Ecosystem (TEE-Up)1 partner, Republic Polytechnic. The first two videos on GenAI-enabled Customer Engagement Chatbots and GenAI-enabled Sales & Marketing Content Creation will be available on IMDA's CTO-as-a-Service platform for SMEs, and the remaining videos will be rolled out progressively in the second half of 2025. The complementary workshops offered as part of the programme are conducted by Prudential's GenAI domain experts and Republic Polytechnic lecturers.
Prudential has been a long-standing supporter of SMEs through its SME Skills Accelerator Programme2, which equips SMEs with the skills and resources to grow and innovate by upskilling and reskilling their employees. In 2022, the insurer had worked with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and ST Engineering to produce a digital commerce playbook to help SMEs kickstart their digital journey in a safe and secure manner3.
Mr Ben Tan, Chief Distribution Officer, Prudential Singapore, said: 'Having been a long-time supporter of SMEs, who are a key pillar of Singapore's economy, we are proud to deepen our commitment by enabling them to gain access to the latest technologies such as GenAI to fuel business growth. Through practical explainer videos and hands-on workshops conducted by us and Republic Polytechnic, one of our Talent Engagement Ecosystem partners, we aim to equip SMEs with the knowledge and skills to apply GenAI meaningfully in their businesses. These efforts are part of the GenAI XPonential programme, delivered in partnership with IMDA, to help SMEs innovate, grow, and stay competitive in today's digital economy.'
Mr Johnson Poh, Assistant Chief Executive, Sectoral Transformation Group, IMDA, added: 'In today's fast-evolving digital landscape, it is vital to equip our SMEs with the tools and knowledge to harness GenAI effectively. IMDA welcomes the collaboration with Prudential Singapore to ensure that our SMEs can navigate the complexities of this emerging technology, gain the confidence to use GenAI to boost productivity, and remain competitive in an AI-driven economy.'
Collaboration with students to bring GenAI to the fore
Students from Republic Polytechnic's Year 2 and 3 cohorts were engaged to develop the GenAI XPonential tech explainer videos. Guided by experts from IMDA and Prudential, these students explored real-world GenAI applications while honing their videography and editing skills. These students were engaged for their digital fluency and to encourage knowledge sharing. Singapore's youth are among the most active users of GenAI, with 80 per cent4 using the technology at least once a week for tasks such as homework or school-related tasks.
Ms Wong Wai Ling, Director, School of Infocomm, Republic Polytechnic, said: 'This collaboration exemplifies how industry and education can come together to empower both students and SMEs in the GenAI space. Our students had a unique opportunity to translate classroom learning into practical outcomes, co-creating resources that will help local businesses harness the potential of emerging technologies. We are proud to support Singapore's digital future by equipping youth with real-world skills while contributing to the nation's broader upskilling efforts.'
Mr Ben Tan added: 'By involving youth in the creation of educational content for SMEs, the broader initiative nurtures the next generation of AI creators who are confident in using new technologies and eager to drive change. It also encourages intergenerational learning, where students support SMEs in the digital economy, building a future-ready ecosystem grounded in knowledge sharing and innovation.'
This collaboration, supported by the National Youth Council, deepened students' understanding of emerging technologies, served as a platform for them to apply their skills in a real-world setting, and is part of youth outreach initiatives aimed at helping SMEs upskill.
4 Source: https://www.ceiglobal.org/work-and-insights/investigating-parent-views-teen-use-generative-ai
Hashtag: #PrudentialSingapore #IMDA #GenAIXPonential
https://www.prudential.com.sg/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/prudential-assurance-company-singapore
https://www.facebook.com/PrudentialSingapore/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd (Prudential Singapore)
Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life and health insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country's citizens for 94 years. The company has an AA- Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor's, with S$57.7 billion funds under management as at 31 December 2024. It delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of more than 5,400 financial representatives.
About Infocomm Media Development Authority
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) leads Singapore's digital transformation by developing a vibrant digital economy and an inclusive digital society. As Architects of Singapore's Digital Future, we foster growth in Infocomm Technology and Media sectors in concert with progressive regulations, harnessing frontier technologies, and developing local talent and digital infrastructure ecosystems to establish Singapore as a digital metropolis.
For more news and information, visit www.imda.gov.sg or follow IMDA on LinkedIn (IMDAsg) Facebook (IMDAsg) and Instagram (@imdasg).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
11 hours ago
- CNET
Adobe's New iOS and Android AI Apps Let You Use Google's Veo 3, Runway and More
Adobe's Firefly AI is now available as mobile apps for iPhones and Androids, the company announced on Tuesday. These apps are free to download and let you use Firefly to create AI images and videos on the go. Plus, the app comes with a few free generative credits for you to experiment with Adobe's AI. Adobe is also expanding its roster of third-party AI partners to include six new models from Ideogram, Pika, Luma and Runway. Google's latest AI models are also joining the lineup, including the internet-famous Veo 3 AI video generation model with native audio capabilities and the Imagen 4 text-to-image model support. Finally, its moodboarding AI program, Firefly Boards, is generally available today after months in beta. Here's everything you need to know about Adobe's newest batch of Firefly AI updates. For more, check out our favorite AI image generators and what to know about AI video models. Firefly AI for iOS and Android users Adobe's Firefly mobile apps will let you access its AI image and video capabilities from your phone. A mobile app felt like the next natural step, since Adobe saw that mobile web usage of Firefly noticeably increased after Adobe's Firefly video capability launched in early 2025. Not every Firefly feature will be available at launch, but for now, we know that these features will be included: text-to-image, text- and image-to-video, generative fill, and generative expand. You can download the app now from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app is free to download, but you'll need a Firefly-inclusive Adobe plan to really use the app. In the hopes that you'll sign up for a full plan, Adobe gives you 12 free generation Firefly credits (10 for images, two for videos, which doesn't shake out to many of each). So you can use those to see if Firefly is a good fit for you. Firefly plans start at $10 per month for 2,000 credits (about 20 videos), increasing in price and generation credits from there. Depending on your Adobe plan, you may already have access to Firefly credits, so double-check that first. Adobe's six new AI models from Google, Runway and more Adobe's also adding new outside AI creative models to its offerings, including image and video models from Ideogram, Pika, Luma and Runway. You might recognize the name Runway from its deal with Lionsgate to create models for the entertainment giant. Ideogram, Pika and Luma are all other well-known AI creative services. Google's Veo 3 AI video generator is also joining, bringing its first-of-its-kind synchronized AI audio capabilities, along with the latest generation of Google's AI image model. This is the second batch of third-party models that Adobe has added to its platform. Earlier this spring, Adobe partnered with OpenAI, Google and Black Forest (creator of Flux) to bring the companies' AI models to Adobe. What's unique about this is that all third-party models have to agree to Adobe's AI policy, which prevents all the companies from training on customers' content -- even if the individual companies don't have that policy on their own, it's standardized across all models offered through Adobe. This is also true for the new models added today. For AI-wary professional creators who make up the majority of Adobe users, that's a bit of good news. You'll need a paid Firefly plan to access outside models; otherwise, you'll just have access to the Adobe models. Here are all the AI models available through Adobe: Adobe Firefly Image 3 Adobe Firefly Image 4 Adobe Firefly Image Ultra Flux 1.1 Pro Flux 1 Kontext Google's Imagen 3 OpenAI's image generation model (new) Ideogram 3 (new) Google's Imagen 4 (new) Runway's Gen-4 Image For video, you can use: Adobe Firefly Video Google Veo 2 (new) Google Veo 3 (new) Luma AI Ray 2 (new) Pika's text-to-video generator Adobe's own Firefly AI models are trained on a combination of Adobe Stock and other licensed content. You can learn more in Adobe's AI guidelines and approach to AI. AI moodboarding gets a boost Other Adobe updates include the general release of its moodboarding program, Firefly Boards, which has been in beta since April. Moodboarding is a practice that lets you cluster together different elements, like colors and shapes, to evoke specific moods and aesthetics. It's a good initial step for planning content and campaigns. Adobe You can use the infinite canvas to brainstorm and plan content. You can generate images and videos in Boards using Adobe and non-Adobe models; the setups are very similar to generating in the regular Firefly window. Boards are collaborative, so you can edit with multiple people. A new one-click arrange button can help you organize and visualize your files more easily, a much-requested feature that came out of the beta. Firefly boards are synced up with your Adobe account. So you can select a photo in a Board, open it in Photoshop and edit it. Those changes will then be synced up with your Firefly Board in less than a minute, so you can always see the latest version of your file without needing to be limited to editing in Boards. For more, check out Premiere Pro's first generative AI feature and the best Photoshop AI tools.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's Why I'm Buying Alphabet Stock Like There's No Tomorrow
Generative AI is challenging Alphabet's Google search business. The company's financial results have remained strong despite this rising competitor. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) doesn't get the same respect as its big tech peers. These stocks all trade at a premium to the market, as measured by the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), while Alphabet does not. There is a lot of pessimism that Alphabet's primary cash cow, the Google search engine, could be losing its dominance, threatening the company as we know it today. However, the numbers don't back this up. Google Search is still dominant and making a ton of money. Because of Alphabet's strong financial picture and cheap price, it's an excellent stock to load up on right now. Most of the concern about Alphabet losing market share involves users switching to alternatives, such as generative AI models. Regardless of which one they use, each time a generative AI model is asked a question, it is one time that Google isn't able to place ads in front of a user. This threatens a core part of the company's business because it gets 56% of its revenue from search. We've seen Google's market share slip a bit, dropping below 90% for the first time since 2015 earlier this year. Still, this doesn't mean the financial picture is trending in the wrong direction, as Google Search revenue rose 10% year over year in the first quarter. One thing helping Google maintain its position is the introduction of AI search overviews, which bridge the gap between a traditional Google search and using a generative AI model. Management has discussed how popular the feature is, and it is going to continue developing it. Although the forecast for Google's market share isn't particularly great, it's still doing an excellent job with its business. I think the market is underestimating the fact that most consumers aren't going to switch away from Google unless something much better is launched. This will protect Alphabet's mindshare and ensure that it continues producing solid results. The first quarter's results were truly fantastic and did not indicate a company that was struggling at all. In that quarter, overall revenue increased 12% year over year, and diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased 49% year over year. If all I presented were those growth rates and its valuation, you would think it's an incredibly undervalued stock. But because Alphabet's name is attached to the stock, it trades at a hefty discount to the market and its peers. With the stock trading at a mere 18.6 times forward earnings, it's far cheaper than the S&P 500, which trades at 22.9 times forward earnings. The results become even more eye-opening compared to some of its peers in big tech. Revenue Growth Rate Diluted EPS Growth Rate Forward P/E Alphabet 12% 49% 18.6 Apple 5.1% 7.8% 27.6 Microsoft 13.3% 17.7% 35.8 Amazon 8.6% 62.2% 34.8 Data source: YCharts. Note: All growth rates were taken from each company's last reported quarters. Alphabet is posting results similar to these other three, yet it trades for a massive discount compared to them. This makes me conclude one of two things: The other big tech stocks are overvalued, or Alphabet is undervalued. Both can be true, but what matters is what investors do with their money. Alphabet is a great stock right now, as it combines growth and value well. This combination could provide explosive returns in the future, making it one of my best stocks to buy. Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $891,722!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keithen Drury has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Here's Why I'm Buying Alphabet Stock Like There's No Tomorrow was originally published by The Motley Fool
News24
13 hours ago
- News24
Chris Roper: African audiences lead the global shift to social news
The 2025 Reuters Digital News Report reveals that news media in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are among the world's most trusted, even as social media and video platforms overtake traditional outlets, writes Chris Roper. Revelations of the 2025 The Reuters Digital News Report (DNR), now in its 14th iteration, include how audiences are moving towards social media and video platforms as a source of news, and the way this is contributing to the already eroding influence of traditional news organisations and 'supercharging a fragmented alternative media environment containing an array of podcasters, YouTubers, and TikTokkers. At the same time, chatbots powered by generative AI are emerging as a new way to access information, especially with people under 35, raising concerns about a potential loss of search referral traffic to publisher websites and apps.' There are still opportunities for news organisations to build different relationships with their readers, though, and arguably, this is especially so for African news publishers. Reliable content When describing how this applies to news globally, the authors write, 'Despite this, audiences remain mostly sceptical about news they find on both social and AI platforms, partly driven by concerns about access to reliable content. Online influencers and politicians are seen as the biggest threats in this regard, while the majority expect generative AI to make the news cheaper to make, but less accurate and less trustworthy. These concerns could offer opportunities for publishers, as audiences say they still look to news brands when checking for reliable information, ahead of sources such as politicians, influencers and trusted personal contacts.' Brokering a relationship that rests on trust is, of course, not an easy thing. Potentially, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are well placed to do this, given that there still exists a high level of trust in news in those countries. The DNR includes a fourth African country, Morocco, but it is somewhat of an outlier in terms of the survey. Data for Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are based on surveys that are representative of younger, English-speaking online news users only, rather than their respective national populations, which makes it difficult to draw comparisons with Morocco, where the survey was targeted at a more heterogeneous group. The report's authors advise caution when directly comparing data points between these African markets and countries with very high internet penetration where the online sample is more broadly representative of the national population. Bearing that caveat in mind, several instructive comparisons can still be made. High levels of trust in Nigeria and Kenya Nigeria and Kenya stand out with significantly high levels of overall trust in news. Nigeria recorded the highest overall trust among all 48 markets surveyed at 68% (ranking 1st), and Kenya was close behind at 65% (ranking 3rd). Trust in news in Nigeria has increased since 2021. South Africa also reported a relatively high trust level at 55% (ranking 5th overall), well above the global average of 40%. There is something of a red flag for South Africa, which has experienced a six percentage-point drop in trust since 2022 (from 61%), with almost all news brands seeing a decline. Morocco has one of the lowest levels of trust in news among the surveyed countries, at just 28% (ranking 42nd), significantly lower than its African counterparts. The real opportunity for media in Africa, perhaps, comes from this category of trust in media, and anxiety about what is real and what is false online. A significant majority of all four countries express high concern about distinguishing true from false news information online, with the African region showing the highest concern globally (73%). Both Kenya and Nigeria report 73% concern, and South Africa has 'high concern about information integrity' at 67%. Morocco's concern is at 54%. This contrasts with Western Europe, which has the lowest levels of concern (46%). Online influencers and personalities are perceived as a major threat for false or misleading information across all markets (47% global average). This concern is particularly high in Kenya (59%), Nigeria (58%), and South Africa (56%, and specifically for TikTok). Morocco also sees online influencers/personalities (52%) as the biggest threat, followed by national politicians (30%). All four countries exhibit a strong reliance on digital platforms and social media for news, which the report reveals is a trend common in the Global South. Social media is a primary source, and the report points out that this is the first year that social media has displaced television as the top way Americans get news, with the proportion of news consumers accessing news via social media and video networks in the United States (54%) overtaking both TV news (50%) and news websites/apps (48%) for the first time. This is going to be a significant strategic issue for traditional news publishers in Africa. How to take advantage of move to social media Instead of succumbing to the existential threat of the ever-accelerating move towards social media, how do they take advantage? The social media landscape is a fragmented one, with the report revealing that six online networks now reach more than 10% weekly with news content, compared to just two a decade ago, but African countries frequently rank among the top global users of social media platforms for news consumption, placing them in what we could term a social-first category alongside countries in Latin America and parts of Asia. This is particularly the case for video-centric platforms like YouTube and TikTok. African countries show some of the highest weekly usage of YouTube for news. More than half of the sampled populations in Kenya (54%, up five percentage points), Morocco (49%), and Nigeria (49%, up five percentage points) reported using YouTube for news, with South Africa also showing significant usage at 42%, although this is down five percentage points since the 2024 DNR. This positions them alongside top Asian countries, such as India (55%) and Thailand (55%), and significantly above the global average of 30%. TikTok and Facebook still major players TikTok is growing rapidly as a network for news consumption. Kenya is at 38%, South Africa at 33%, Nigeria at 28%, and Morocco at 24%, which is notably higher than the average use in the United States (12%) and Europe (11%), and the global average of 16%. Facebook is still a major player when it comes to news consumption. Nigeria leads with 65% weekly news usage, followed by Kenya (52%), South Africa (50%), and Morocco (47%). The global average is 36%. WhatsApp is also widely used for news in Africa, contrasting with the global average of 19%. Nigeria shows 53% weekly news usage, Kenya 46%, South Africa 41%, and Morocco 30%. Instagram's news usage is also considerable for Nigeria at 41%, Morocco at 32%, and Kenya at 26%. In South Africa, Instagram is the lowest of the six social media platforms covered by the report, with only 15% of those surveyed indicating they used it for news, a two percentage-point drop from 2024 and below the global average of 19%. Usage of social media platform X for news in African countries is mixed, with Kenya at 42%, Nigeria at 49% (a nine percentage point increase), Morocco at 11%, and South Africa at 16%. Kenya and Nigeria are way above the global average of 12%. READ | Online hate speech hits Africa, social media firms told to act Amid the decline in consumption of traditional news media, there is some hope in terms of consumption of local news in South Africa. The country stands out with the highest interest in local news (60%) among the surveyed countries, significantly higher than the average interest in local news across 45 markets (32%). This question was not asked for Kenya and Nigeria. Interestingly, audiences in these African countries, as well as in Asia, show notably higher comfort levels with news content produced mostly by AI with some human oversight compared to Europe. South Africa's comfort level is 34%, higher than the USA (19%) and Europe (15%). This might prove to be an opportunity for African news publishers to embark on a transparent implementation of AI into their news flow, one that includes audiences in the process. Instead of a challenge to editorial integrity, this could be a mechanism to build trust with readers. News avoidance A major threat, though, is the high levels of news avoidance. Globally, the DNR authors tell us, 'trust and low engagement in the news are closely connected with 'avoidance', an increasing challenge in a high-choice news environment, where news is often upsetting in different ways. Across markets, four in 10 (40%) say they sometimes or often avoid the news, up from 29% in 2017 and the joint highest figure we've ever recorded (along with 2024).' News avoidance varies among the four African countries, with Kenya reporting a 50% news avoidance, South Africa 41%, Nigeria 35%, and Morocco 39%. The DNR identifies some key threats to traditional media, such as the continued reliance on social media, video platforms, and online aggregators for news, the pressure on business models, attacks on press freedom, and the emergence of AI platforms and chatbots as new sources of news. It's not all doom and gloom for African news publishers, though. In some cases, they can learn from the rest of the world, but in other cases, they have the opportunity to take advantage of the differences in their own local environments. Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa have some of the highest levels of trust in news globally, which can potentially be leveraged to position themselves as reliable sources amid growing scepticism about information on social and AI platforms. - Chris Roper is a deputy CEO at Code for Africa. Note: The Africa launch of the Reuters DNR takes place on Monday, 23 June, (13:00 CAT), hosted by Reuters Institute of Journalism in partnership with Code for Africa. A presentation by lead author Nic Newman will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Ajibola Amzat from the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, Justine Wanda from Fake Woke and Jillian Green from Daily Maverick. Sign up now.
