AI Influence Profile
Mariam Jaafar
Positioning
Member of Parliament. Spoke in 15 AI-related parliamentary debates (2021–2026), most often on AI Economy & Industry and AI in Public Sector.
Parliamentary AI record (15)
MSF Committee of Supply 2026 — Children's Safe AI Use & Screen Time
2026-03-06 · Parliament 15
MOS Zhulkarnain responded to several MPs' concerns about children's screen time and online safety during the MSF Committee of Supply debate. The government's strategy includes helping children stay safe online, use AI responsibly, and — by reducing screen time — giving parents more space for family interaction. The discussion centred on protecting minors in the AI era without blocking their ability to learn and adapt to new technologies.
MCCY Committee of Supply 2026 — Preparing Malay/Muslim Community for AI Economy
2026-03-05 · Parliament 15
In the MCCY Committee of Supply debate, several Malay/Muslim MPs focused on the community's readiness for the AI economy. MP Saktiandi Supaat argued that AI transformation strategy must ensure children and youth not only use technology but create value with it, citing a Sec 4 student who is curious about AI but lacks deeper understanding. MP Wan Rizal addressed youth transitions from higher education into the AI-driven labour market. The debate referenced the National AI Council, National AI Mission and AI Champions programme as creating new opportunities for Malay/Muslim businesses, while asking: is the community ready to step into this new world?
MOH Committee of Supply 2026 — AI as National Healthcare Mission
2026-03-04 · Parliament 15
During the MOH Committee of Supply debate, MP Mariam Jaafar delivered a landmark speech on AI in healthcare policy. She put a bigger question to the Minister: if healthcare is truly a national AI mission, the goal cannot just be incremental adoption — Singapore must build a complete system (infrastructure, governance, talent, and the underlying plumbing) so that AI safely, effectively and at scale improves outcomes for every patient. She identified the need to cultivate "translator" talent fluent in both clinical realities and machine learning. Once AI is shown to deliver real patient benefit safely and reliably at scale, Singapore will gain a decisive global competitive advantage.
MOM Committee of Supply 2026 — AI, Workforce & Career Resilience
2026-03-03 · Parliament 15
The MOM Committee of Supply debate was the centrepiece for AI and workforce issues in the Budget. Minister Tan See Leng framed AI as transforming the nature of work — not only what jobs people do, but how work is organised, skills are built, and careers evolve. Key threads: (1) AI as a gamechanger that can augment or displace workers depending on how jobs are redesigned; (2) SkillsFuture participation exceeding 600,000, with 458,000+ Singaporeans using SkillsFuture credits; (3) reframing "job redesign" as "human-with-AI job redesign", using design thinking to combine AI with human judgement, empathy and creativity; (4) mid-career PMEs face the highest risk and need career health to become mainstream, preventive and personalised; (5) generative AI poses higher risk to white-collar work than to manual / dexterity-based roles. MPs' threads: Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), forward-looking when introduced in 2016, must be sharpened to give clear direction on AI-driven business process redesign, workforce-transition timelines and credible pathways into new roles; Ms Yeo Wan Ling argued the 2026 expansion of the Non-traditional Sources Occupation List (NTS-OL) must be coupled with productivity-linked conditions — structured training of locals, skills transfer from foreign workers, and job redesign; NMP Assoc Prof Terence Ho warned of an "AI divide" and proposed free or subsidised time-limited access to premium AI tools (the US$20–30/month tier) for mature workers, with longer-term subsidies for lower-income Singaporeans; Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim cautioned that agentic AI threatens entry-level positions and called for institutionalising the GRIT programme as a national on-the-job training subsidy.
Committee of Supply – Head Q (Ministry of Digital Development and Information)
2025-03-07 · Parliament 14
MPs asked about digital infrastructure resilience and security safeguards, focusing on cloud and data centre security guidelines. The government emphasised the strong growth of Singapore's digital economy and the issuance of guidance to lift infrastructure security, ensuring digital transformation is sustainable and inclusive. The core debate: how to further strengthen infrastructure against round-the-clock operational risks.
Committee of Supply – Head S (Ministry of Manpower)
2025-03-06 · Parliament 14
MPs raised post-pandemic employment recovery, inflation pressure, and protection of vulnerable groups. The Manpower Minister replied that resident unemployment has dropped to 2.8%, with skills training, the Progressive Wage Model and retirement security supporting employment across different age and vulnerable groups; income growth has outpaced inflation and the labour market remains strong. The core debate: how to keep lifting low-income welfare and respond to global economic uncertainty.
Committee of Supply – Head V (Ministry of Trade and Industry)
2025-03-05 · Parliament 14
MPs asked whether Singapore's economy can outperform the 2025 1–3% growth forecast, emphasising the importance of growth for jobs and international competitiveness. The government replied that growth requires overcoming tight constraints on land, workforce and now carbon, through structural productivity gains, firm transformation, and infrastructure investment. The core debate: how to achieve higher growth under resource constraints.
Committee of Supply – Head P (Ministry of Home Affairs)
2025-03-03 · Parliament 14
MPs asked how the government partners community groups and the public to safeguard Singapore's racial and religious harmony and respond to the global trust deficit in public institutions. They highlighted the threat of rumours and misinformation to social cohesion and called for collective effort. The government response is not included in the excerpt; the core debate is on balancing policy enforcement with community participation to strengthen public trust in law-enforcement institutions.
Committee of Supply – Head O (Ministry of Health)
2024-03-05 · Parliament 14
MPs asked MOH about progress and scale-up of hospital-at-home services and whether MediShield Life and MediSave can support home-care claims. They also questioned whether current Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessment criteria are reasonable, calling for more flexible consideration of patient need. The core debate: whether home-care coverage and subsidy mechanisms are sufficient to support patients and their families.
Committee of Supply – Head V (Ministry of Trade and Industry)
2024-03-01 · Parliament 14
MPs asked how Singapore will drive growth under land, manpower and carbon constraints, focusing on the opportunities and challenges from emerging technologies like generative AI. The government emphasised keeping the country attractive for investment, strengthening manufacturing and services, and lifting infrastructure and talent development, with policy stability to handle global competition and tech change. The core debate: balancing innovation with a solid economic base.
Debate on Annual Budget Statement
2024-02-27 · Parliament 14
The debate focused on the path to economic growth in Singapore's Budget 2024, against a backdrop of global slowdown, high inflation and rising geopolitical uncertainty. The government emphasised structural reform and support for firms and households to navigate challenges, driving long-term sustainability. References to tech innovation, automation, and AI's impact on jobs and industry competitiveness reflected concern over AI governance and industrial development. The core debate: how to balance growth with social protection and respond to rising global protectionism.
Building an Inclusive and Safe Digital Society
2024-01-10 · Parliament 14
MPs raised a trust crisis and cybersecurity challenges in the digitalisation drive, stressing growing online harms like scams. The government cited Singapore's digital-economy progress and forward-looking infrastructure, committing to a whole-of-nation approach to digital risk. The core debate: balancing digitalisation with public safety and trust.
Committee of Supply – Head K (Ministry of Education)
2023-02-28 · Parliament 14
MPs raised the education budget and career-guidance support, emphasising educators' contributions during the pandemic and the importance of future skills development. They proposed stronger career counselling for youth and working adults and broader use of SkillsFuture Credit for lifelong learning. The government has not yet responded in this excerpt. The core debate: how to better support youth career development and skills matching.
Committee of Supply – Head Q (Ministry of Communications and Information)
2022-03-04 · Parliament 14
MPs asked how the government balances investment in digital infrastructure and tech innovation (6G, Web 4.0) with digital inclusion of vulnerable groups to prevent a widening digital divide. They focused on the timeliness and proportionality of digital regulation, especially in emerging areas like crypto and the metaverse. The government must balance economic vitality with social cohesion, making sure the whole population stays included and safe.
Committee of Supply – Head Q (Ministry of Communications and Information)
2021-03-02 · Parliament 14
MPs asked how the government will develop digital leadership talent and push women into tech, proposing a mentorship programme and raising concerns about gender imbalance. The government has launched multiple talent programmes but specific measures for digital leadership and female participation are not yet clear. The core debate: how to effectively attract and retain top tech talent and close the gender gap.