INTERVIEW Singapore Management University president highlights growing role of social sciences in AI era
Singapore Management University President Lily Kong / Courtesy of Singapore Management University
Lily Kong stresses critical thinking, ethical reasoning and human judgment
Editor’s note
This is the fourth in a series of interviews as The Korea Times speaks with leading university presidents across the globe to examine how institutions are redefining education, research and international collaboration in an era shaped by artificial intelligence, demographic shifts and geopolitical uncertainty. The series is supported by the Korea Press Foundation's Press Promotion Fund.
SINGAPORE — As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how businesses operate, governments make policy and people work, the skills needed to navigate its impact are extending far beyond technology — putting greater emphasis on human judgment, critical thinking and an understanding of society.
Singapore Management University (SMU) President Lily Kong believes that shift will make the social sciences and management increasingly important in the AI era, as universities are tasked not only with teaching students how to use the technology, but also to question its output, understand its consequences and apply it responsibly.
“I think that the more capable that AI becomes, the more valuable human judgment becomes,” Kong said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
For Kong, AI is not just a technological shift. As it reshapes workplaces, business decisions and public policy, universities must equip students to understand and manage its broader impact on society.
She said SMU’s focus on management, social sciences and technology puts it in a strong position to prepare students for that challenge.
“How do we manage AI? How do we think about the consequences of AI on society?” Kong said. “This nexus of management, social sciences and technology is going to be increasingly important for all universities.”
Students need to know how to use AI, Kong said, but technical skills alone are not enough. As AI makes answers increasingly accessible, the greater challenge is knowing what to ask and how to judge the results.
“It’s not so much finding the right answers, because AI can find you many answers at your fingertips, but it’s being able to ask the right question,” she said.
Students must also be able to judge whether AI-generated answers are accurate and appropriate to the context, she said — a task that requires critical thinking, ethical reasoning and empathy, skills rooted in management and the social sciences.
The Singapore Management University campus / Courtesy of Singapore Management University
Teaching students to work with AI
The university has embraced AI as part of learning rather than trying to keep it out of the classroom.
Kong said the university initially shared concerns that generative AI could be used for cheating when tools such as ChatGPT emerged in late 2022, but soon concluded that banning them was not the answer.
“AI is here to stay,” she said. “In working life, people will use it. So our role must be to help students learn how to use it ethically, responsibly, applying human judgment.”
SMU has since introduced an AI education strategy that progressively teaches students how to use AI, learn with it and critically evaluate its output.
Programs span all four undergraduate years, with students moving from basic AI use to critical evaluation and eventually applying the technology to real-world problems.
In capstone projects, for example, students work with industry partners or government agencies to tackle actual problems. They are allowed to use AI, but must demonstrate their own contribution rather than simply presenting AI-generated solutions.
“They have their value add. They have critically interrogated the AI answers,” Kong said.
Students pose in front of Singapore Management University’s School of Law during the university’s commencement ceremony, July 28. Courtesy of Singapore Management University
Making technology work for society
Kong believes the same changes that are driving universities toward STEM fields could ultimately make non-STEM disciplines even more important.
A technology can function perfectly from an engineering perspective and still fail in society, she said. People may not trust it, businesses may struggle to afford or implement it, or governments may lack rules governing its use.
Those are questions of psychology, economics, management, law and governance.
Kong pointed to autonomous vehicles as an example. Even if the technology works, widespread adoption will depend on governance issues such as who is liable in an accident — the passenger, manufacturer or algorithm developer.
“Technology has many possibilities, but we need the social science, the governance, the management before we can really leverage the technology,” she said.
That approach is also shaping SMU’s research agenda. Its Resilient Workforces Institute studies how workers, organizations and governments can adapt as AI transforms jobs, from redesigning work around human-AI collaboration to developing training and funding policies.
Kong said universities have a dual role: rethinking how they educate students while producing research that helps businesses and governments navigate the transition.
A graduate poses during Singapore Management University’s commencement ceremony, July 28. Courtesy of Singapore Management University
Turning research into real-world impact
Beyond AI, SMU is focusing its interdisciplinary research on three major challenges: aging populations, changing workforces and urban transformation.
Kong said academic rigor and publications remain essential, but research should ultimately translate into real-world impact by informing government policy and business practices.
“How do we work with policymakers? How do we work with businesses? How do we work with government departments to turn some of this knowledge that is created into economic impact or impact on social and cultural life?” she said.
SMU’s university-level research institutes reflect that approach, bringing together researchers across disciplines to tackle complex challenges and connect their findings with policymakers, businesses and other outside partners.
Autonomous vehicles, for example, involve more than technology, Kong said.
“It’s not just a technology question. It’s a governance question. It’s a psychological question. It’s a trust question,” she said.
Kong said such interdisciplinary research is increasingly important in the AI era, when technological advances are closely intertwined with broader social, economic and governance challenges.
As AI becomes better at generating information and answers, Kong said universities should focus on developing the human skills needed to assess them, understand their implications and make sound decisions.
“The individuals who will do well,” she said, will be those with “the flexibility to pivot, the resilience to face difficult circumstances, the empathy to work with different cultures and different people.”