AI for the heartlands: PA launches $7 community club classes to help seniors and everyday Singaporeans master it

Artificial intelligence education in Singapore is expanding into neighbourhood Community Clubs (CCs), helping everyday residents build digital confidence in daily life.

Under a new initiative unveiled by the People's Association (PA), residents unfamiliar with technology will soon have access to affordable, beginner-friendly AI workshops tailored for everyday tasks rather than corporate workplaces.

The AI @ Your Neighbourhood programme was announced today (Oct 10) by PA Deputy Chairman and Minister for Law Edwin Tong at its annual Community Seminar, held at Our Tampines Hub.

Addressing over 1,000 grassroots leaders, volunteers, and community partners, he encouraged attendees to leverage AI to understand residents' needs better and deepen community connections.

"Whilst AI is important, we must never forget that we are, at the end of the day, in a very strong people business. We build trust, we hold hands and we touch hearts," Minister Tong said. "It's important that we always remember that with AI it helps us in what we do, but we must always remember that it is about building the personal connection that matters the most."

Designed for everyday needs

While most commercial AI courses focus on workplace productivity and job skills for working professionals, AI @ Your Neighbourhood is specifically curated for residents with little to no prior AI exposure. The courses aim to help participants understand fundamental AI concepts, apply tools safely, and use technology responsibly at home.

To date, the PA has curated 25 bite-sized, hands-on courses covering practical topics such as:

AI made simple: Everyday digital life skills

Photography & photo enhancement with AI

Your AI travel buddy: Explore more, stress less

Starting November 2026, the classes will be rolled out progressively across CCs islandwide. To ensure accessibility, courses cost $10 per session. The PA will also offer a 30 per cent discount for the first year (from November 2026 to October 2027), bringing the fee down to $7 per session, with an overall target to reach 10,000 residents.

Residents can search and sign up for sessions via the onePA website. The PA is also partnering with organisations including AI Singapore, Micron Technology, NTUC LearningHub, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Tata Consultancy Services, and Zero Gravity to bring additional workshops to the community.

Overcoming tech intimidation

Recent pilot programme runs across Buangkok, Bukit Batok East, and Geylang Serai CCs demonstrated strong community interest and positive feedback from participants.

For 63-year-old Geylang Serai resident Dorothy Villanueva, taking a travel-focused AI class alongside her neighbours transformed how she views technology.

"I attended the course with two of my friends, and learning AI together made it much more fun and less intimidating," Villanueva shared.

"We've been friends for many years and often travel together. I usually leave the planning with AI to my children, but after the course, I feel more confident doing it myself. Now, we can use what we learnt to plan our next trip together."

By bringing practical tools directly into local neighbourhoods, the PA aims to ensure that no resident is left behind as Singapore continues its digital transformation.

Using AI to strengthen the human touch

Beyond public-facing workshops, the PA is also deploying AI tools internally to automate routine administrative tasks and ease the workload on grassroots volunteers.

PA is also working to introduce resident-facing tools, a multilingual AI Voice Assistant on onePA which will recommend available programmes and guide users from discovery to payment. Another AI tool - PA Community Robot - will help visitors find activities, navigate CCs and reach staff. Both tools are slated to launch in 2027.

The PA will also provide AI training to grassroots leaders and volunteers to support their daily engagement efforts.

As Minister Tong highlighted, using technology to handle manual administrative work enables staff and volunteers to concentrate on "nurturing the human connection, empathy and care for our resident" - a key objective under the PA's Community 2030 vision.

kimberly.foo@asiaone.com

新加坡的人工智能教育正在扩展到社区俱乐部，帮助普通居民在日常生活中建立数字自信。

根据人民协会（PA）推出的一项新举措，不熟悉技术的居民很快就能参加价格实惠、适合初学者的AI研讨会，这些研讨会是为日常任务量身定制的，而不是为企业工作场所量身定制的。

“AI @ Your Neighbourhood”计划于今日（10月10日）由人民协会副主席兼律政部长唐振辉在淡滨尼天地举行的年度社区研讨会上宣布。

他向 1000 多名基层领导人、志愿者和社区合作伙伴发表讲话，鼓励与会者利用人工智能更好地了解居民的需求，并加深社区联系。

“人工智能固然重要，但我们绝不能忘记，归根结底，我们身处一个以人为本的行业。我们建立信任，携手同行，触动人心，”唐部长表示。“我们必须始终牢记，人工智能可以辅助我们开展工作，但我们也必须始终牢记，建立人与人之间的联系才是最重要的。”

专为日常需求而设计

大多数商业人工智能课程侧重于提升职场效率和职业技能，而“AI @ Your Neighbourhood”课程则专门为几乎没有人工智能经验的居民设计。这些课程旨在帮助参与者理解人工智能的基本概念，安全地应用工具，并在家中负责任地使用技术。

迄今为止，PA已精心策划了25门简短精炼、注重实践的课程，涵盖以下实用主题：

人工智能入门：日常数字生活技能

人工智能摄影及照片增强

你的AI旅行伙伴：探索更多，压力更小

从2026年11月起，课程将在全岛各社区中心逐步推广。为确保人人都能参与，课程费用为每节课10新元。人民协会还将在第一年（2026年11月至2027年10月）提供30%的折扣，使每节课的费用降至7新元，最终目标是惠及1万名居民。

居民可通过 onePA 网站搜索并报名参加课程。人民协会还与包括新加坡人工智能协会、美光科技、NTUC LearningHub、新加坡社会科学大学 (SUSS)、塔塔咨询服务公司和 Zero Gravity 在内的多家机构合作，为社区带来更多工作坊。

克服技术恐惧

最近在万国、武吉巴督东和芽笼士乃民众俱乐部开展的试点项目显示出社区的浓厚兴趣和参与者的积极反馈。

对于居住在芽笼士乃的 63 岁居民 Dorothy Villanueva 来说，与邻居们一起参加以旅游为主题的人工智能课程改变了她对技术的看法。

“我和两个朋友一起参加了这门课程，一起学习人工智能让学习变得更有趣，也更不容易让人感到畏惧，”维拉纽瓦分享道。

“我们是多年的朋友，经常一起旅行。我通常把用人工智能规划行程的工作交给孩子们，但上完这门课后，我觉得自己更有信心了。现在，我们可以用学到的知识来规划下一次的旅行了。”

通过将实用工具直接引入当地社区，人民协会旨在确保在新加坡继续进行数字化转型的过程中，没有一个居民被落下。

利用人工智能加强人情味

除了面向公众的研讨会外，人民联盟还在内部部署人工智能工具，以实现日常行政任务的自动化，减轻基层志愿者的工作量。

PA 还在努力推出面向居民的工具，包括 onePA 平台上的多语言 AI ​​语音助手，它将推荐可用的项目并引导用户完成从发现到支付的整个过程。另一款 AI 工具——PA 社区机器人——将帮助访客查找活动、导航社区中心并联系工作人员。这两款工具计划于 2027 年推出。

人民联盟还将为基层领导人和志愿者提供人工智能培训，以支持他们的日常工作。

正如唐部长强调的那样，利用科技处理人工行政工作，可以让工作人员和志愿者专注于“培养与居民的人际联系、同理心和关爱”——这是人民协会“社区2030”愿景下的一个关键目标。

kimberly.foo@asiaone.com