September 22, 2026

Automation and digitalisation are transforming how people learn, work, make decisions, and participate in economic and social life. As artificial intelligence and other digital technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday institutions, they also raise important questions about human agency, assessment, trust, and governance.

The Singapore Research Nexus (SRN) presents ‘Automation, Digitalisation, and Policy’, an outreach event bringing together researchers from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences to examine these issues from psychological, linguistic, and sociological perspectives. The event will feature three presentations, followed by a Q&A session and networking.

Opening and Closing Remarks

• Assoc Prof Nala H. Lee (NUS Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies & FASS Vice-Dean of Research) 

Presentations

• Assoc Prof Nina L. Powell (NUS Department of Psychology)

Human Agency in an Automated Society: AI, Care, and Education in Singapore

As AI becomes embedded in education, healthcare, and public life, Powell examines what automation means for human agency, judgment, responsibility, uncertainty, and care. She proposes a human-development approach to evaluating digital systems based on how they shape people’s capacities to interpret, deliberate, and act.

• Assoc Prof Chao Han (NUS Department of Chinese Studies)

Large language models and the automated assessment of human language performance: Evidence and risks from bilingual interpreting

Drawing on research involving 1,725 interpreted performances, Han explores the use of large language models as automated evaluators of human language performance. The presentation considers both their potential and their limitations, arguing that the authority given to AI-generated scores must remain an evidence-based assessment and governance decision.

• Assoc Prof Emily HC Chua (NUS Department of Sociology and Anthropology)

Fintech and its Futurisms – A Global Condition in Singapore

Chua examines Singapore’s emerging blockchain-based fintech sector and the forms of futuristic thinking surrounding it. Looking beyond competition between new products and services, the talk considers how fintech involves new forms of money, networks, and trust amid growing economic uncertainty.

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Date and Time: Friday, 2 October 2026, 3:00-5:30 pm

Venue: FASS Research Division Seminar Room & Zoom

Venue Address: #6-42, AS7 Shaw Foundation Building, 5 Arts Link, Singapore 117570

Registration:

In-person registration here.

Zoom registration here.

Download the programme here.