Wielding tech and AI for the greater good

Anyone who has watched a James Bond movie would probably be familiar with Q – the intrepid inventor who creates all kinds of technologically advanced gadgets. 

But did you know that Singapore has its very own team of Qs?

Among them is Wang Jiale, an artificial intelligence engineer who works at HTX’s Q Team Centre of Expertise, which was named after the fictitious character because it also leverages technology to devise innovative solutions. In this case, however, these solutions are primarily for Home Team officers.

Rapid innovation that makes a difference

In his role within Q Team, Jiale constantly monitors the latest tech trends to see how they might be relevant to enhancing Home Team operations. Once the team identifies a suitable trend, it quickly builds something – usually within weeks – before letting the relevant Home Team Departments have a go at it.

The projects that Q Team embarks on, he noted, cover diverse areas, ranging from cybersecurity to AI and data analytics, as well as robotics and unmanned systems.

“The most exciting part of my job is getting to work with the latest technologies. More importantly, the innovations we create have an immediate impact on the safety and security of Singapore. This is why I find this job to be very meaningful.”

Even if an innovation created isn’t something that gets permanently implemented, seeing how it works gives Q Team a better understanding of how that particular tech can help enhance Home Team operations, he added.

Most recently, Jiale has been focusing on AI models, specifically large multimodal models (LMMs) that can process multiple types of data such as text, audio and video all at once. He said that such models can mimic the way humans learn and have the potential to help officers narrow down potential suspects. 

One result of the team’s work in this area is QCaption, which can generate captions for videos, including live feeds, in real time. 

“QCaption is very helpful if you want to detect an action or a specific trait from a surveillance video or body-worn camera,” he explained. “Our officers have found it quite helpful.” 

Another AI project the team is working on is HText (pronounced ‘HTX’), which is a comprehensive suite of AI text analytics solutions powered by large language models (LLMs). With HText, an officer can rapidly trawl news or process feedback, and thereafter, summarise, classify, draft reports and generate referral emails.

QCaption and HText are currently being developed to help Home Team officers with their work.

Jiale is also involved in a new project involving Q Team, HTX’s xData division and the agency’s major partners in the field of AI to train the Home Team’s very own LLMs. HTX is one of the few organisations in Singapore and Asia with the capabilities and ambition to build AI models of this scale.

A culture that fosters innovation

Besides being impressed by the pace at which the agency adopts new technology, Jiale said he is also a big fan of the agency culture.

“Coming to work isn’t a chore – it’s in fact fun!” he quipped. “Why? Apart from the fact that we get to work on exciting things that help make this nation safer, we have a relatively flat hierarchy here and this means an open culture of communication where everyone can voice their ideas freely. What’s also important is that management and team leaders are super supportive of us embracing new technology to push the boundaries.”

Jiale mused that breaking new ground doesn’t simply require technical expertise, but also soft skills that allow one to work effectively with others, as well as a good support network of experts from other disciplines. 

“At HTX, we get to work with people from all kinds of disciplines, including AI, robotics, chemistry and forensics. When you put so many bright minds together, you’ll naturally get some exciting results,” he said.

Jiale, who had interned at HTX before joining the agency full time, pointed out that the prospect of getting to work and learn from such talents, as well as the open work culture, was what made him decide to start his career here. 

“Many people have the impression that government-affiliated agencies are slow and bureaucratic, and this can stifle innovation,” he added. 

“But here at HTX, in particular at Q Team, we are always in tandem with industry standards and trends. In fact, we pride ourselves as a government agency that is run like an agile startup!”