Early AI Exposure Among Singapore Children Sparks University-Led Inquiry

A recent study conducted by researchers at the National University of Singapore and A*STAR has shed light on the rapid uptake of artificial intelligence tools among young Singaporeans. More than half of eight-year-olds have already interacted with AI applications, with ChatGPT emerging as the most commonly used platform. Usage rates climb sharply with age, reaching 71 percent by age ten and 88 percent by age thirteen. The findings, presented at the Population Association of Singapore annual conference hosted at NUS in May 2026, underscore patterns tied to family socioeconomic background and parental education levels.

These trends carry direct relevance for Singapore’s higher education sector. Universities such as NUS, NTU, and SMU are examining how early exposure shapes student readiness for tertiary studies, influences admissions processes, and informs curriculum design in teacher training programmes. The research highlights both opportunities for innovation and risks of widening disparities that could affect the pipeline of future undergraduates and researchers.

University Researchers Drive Data Collection on Usage Patterns

Dr Xuejiao Chen of A*STAR’s Institute for Human Development and Potential and Professor Jean Yeung of NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine led the investigation. Their work draws on survey responses from families across income and education strata, revealing that children from households where parents hold university degrees show higher rates of guided, purposeful AI engagement. In contrast, lower parental education levels correlate with more unsupervised or recreational use.

NUS has positioned itself at the forefront of translating these insights into higher education strategy. The university’s Institute of Policy Studies released a working paper in February 2026 proposing a unified AI literacy framework that explicitly addresses the emerging “AI divide.” The document reviews international models and Singapore-specific initiatives, noting gaps in equitable access and capability building that universities are now tasked with closing through targeted programmes.

MOE and University Partnerships Shape Age-Appropriate Guidelines

The Ministry of Education has adopted a calibrated approach informed by the NUS-A*STAR findings and broader learning sciences research. Primary One to Three students focus on hands-on, non-AI activities, while Primary Four to Six gain supervised access to education-specific AI tools within the Student Learning Space platform. Secondary schools may incorporate AI-assisted tasks with clear citation requirements, preparing students for the heavier AI integration expected in post-secondary environments.

NTU has announced plans to embed AI across 40 percent of its undergraduate courses by 2030, with half dedicated to personalised learning and the other half to building and managing AI agents. All incoming undergraduates from August 2026 will receive access to premium Google AI tools. These developments respond directly to the childhood usage patterns documented in the study, ensuring that higher education institutions build on foundational exposure rather than starting from zero.

Digital Divide Dimensions Examined Through Higher Education Lens

The study identifies three interconnected layers of the AI divide: access to tools, uneven skills in responsible application, and divergent long-term outcomes in education and employment. Parental education emerges as a strong predictor, with university-educated parents more likely to model critical evaluation of AI outputs.

SMU researchers have begun incorporating these insights into faculty development. The university’s Academy offers courses such as ChatGPT for Educators, equipping lecturers to guide students who arrive with varying levels of prior AI familiarity. This addresses concerns that students from less advantaged backgrounds may enter university with gaps in prompt engineering or ethical reasoning that peers from higher-education households have already developed.

Photo by Albert Vincent Wu on Unsplash

Teacher Training Programmes Adapt to New Realities

Singapore’s teacher education institutions, including the National Institute of Education at NTU, are revising curricula to include modules on AI literacy and digital equity. The goal is to prepare educators who can identify and mitigate divides before they compound in higher education settings.

University-led workshops now emphasise strategies for scaffolding AI use for students with limited home support. Participants learn to design assignments that require explicit reflection on AI contributions, fostering metacognitive skills that the childhood study suggests are unevenly distributed across socioeconomic groups.

Research Centres at NUS and NTU Advance Policy-Relevant Work

NUS established the Artificial Intelligence Institute in 2024 and the Centre on AI Technology for Humankind to examine ethical, societal, and educational implications. These centres are actively studying how early AI exposure influences cognitive development and academic trajectories, with direct implications for undergraduate admissions criteria and support services.

NTU’s Learning Technologies and Digital Media group collaborates with MOE on adaptive learning systems that personalise content based on individual usage histories. Such systems aim to level the playing field for students whose childhood AI interactions were less structured.

Implications for University Admissions and Student Support

Admissions offices at Singapore’s autonomous universities are monitoring the study’s findings for potential signals of readiness. While national exams remain proctored without AI, coursework components increasingly allow supervised AI use. Universities are considering how to evaluate applicants’ demonstrated ability to use AI productively rather than as a shortcut.

Student support services are expanding AI literacy workshops targeted at first-year cohorts. These sessions address both technical skills and the critical judgement needed to navigate an environment where generative tools are ubiquitous.

Future Outlook: Closing the Divide Through Higher Education Innovation

Looking ahead, Singapore’s higher education institutions are positioned to play a pivotal role in narrowing the AI divide identified in the childhood study. Initiatives such as NUS’s unified literacy framework and NTU’s scaled AI integration across curricula represent proactive responses that could serve as models for other systems.

Continued collaboration between MOE, A*STAR, and the universities will be essential. Longitudinal tracking of the current cohort of primary and secondary students as they enter tertiary education will provide further evidence on whether early interventions successfully mitigate socioeconomic disparities in AI capability.

Photo by Shawnn Tan on Unsplash

Actionable Steps for University Administrators and Faculty

Administrators are encouraged to audit existing programmes for equity in AI access and training. Faculty can integrate reflective AI-use assignments that build on the foundational literacy students are acquiring in schools. Partnerships with community organisations can extend support to families with lower parental education levels, ensuring that the benefits of AI-enhanced learning reach all incoming undergraduates.