SINGAPORE – Local media firms can now tap on a new $48 million fund that aims to support the creation of Singapore-centric content and experimentation with artificial intelligence tools. The four-year Content and Capability Development programme seeks to help media firms seize new opportunities in an industry with fast-changing audience consumption habits, said Senior Minister of State of Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How during the launch event on June 18. “The pace of change of technology is only going to accelerate,” said Mr
Tan at the event, adding that he has seen much AI-generated content and AI tools being used online. “We in Singapore don’t have the luxury of pretending that these changes and environment drivers don’t exist.” For content development, the programme aims to support media firms to explore new ways to create and distribute content to better engage with local audiences, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority on June 18. “This includes supporting Singapore stories that can resonate with youth, adults, and seniors through relevant formats
and narratives,” said the authority. It cited recent statistics from the Singapore TV Audience Measurement System, which found that 87 per cent of those aged 15 and above use social media video sites such as TikTok and Instagram on a weekly basis. “Short-form videos, micro-dramas, and AI-assisted production workflows and AI-generated content are gaining traction, alongside a new generation of digitally native content creators reshaping how content is produced, distributed and consumed,” said IMDA. Media firms that take part in the programme will also receive
support to adopt new formats such as short-form episodic content, as well as new technologies and production approaches including using AI to generate content. “It will also foster experimentation with and adoption of AI-assisted workflows for content development, production and localisation,” said IMDA, adding that this will allow media professionals to shift their attention to more creative tasks such as storytelling, crafting narratives, and business development. To tap on the programme, companies will first need to be accredited by IMDA, which will assess the firms
for their current content development capabilities, relevant experience and team structure. The first batch of 117 media firms – including traditional production houses and digital media companies – received their accreditation earlier in June. Accredited firms will then be eligible to respond to calls for proposals, which will need to detail the project’s creative concept, format, production approach, timeline, intended audience, distribution platform and projected local reach. “Proposals will be evaluated based on the requirements and criteria set out in each Call for Proposal brief,”
said an IMDA spokesperson. IMDA will consider team capability, degree of innovation, relatability and relevance to the intended audience, among other critieria. Through the National AI Impact Programme, media professionals will also be to use their SkillsFuture credits to attend a list of 55 curated courses announced on June 18 to use AI to automation content production. These courses, listed on IMDA’s website, will teach core AI skills that can support writing, storytelling, content creating and audio production. They include Generative Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Social Media
Content Creation, which teaches professionals to use AI tools to create short-form content for platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Participants will also learn to analyse metrics and engagement data to refine their content strategies. The National AI Impact Programme, which was announced in February during the budget debate, aims to train over 100,000 non-tech workers with AI know-how to solve real-world work problems.
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