By Jabez Goh, Communications & Marketing Executive, Straits Interactive
Since 2020, the education sector has undergone significant digital transformation. Many of these shifts, initially temporary measures spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, are now permanent norms that few would want reversed.
Mass digitalisation has since provided learners with more accessible avenues for education, with an abundance of digital resources at their disposal. This is reflected in our own work at Straits Interactive, where we continue to offer remote data protection and governance courses post-pandemic, accommodating a wider range of learners across geographies.
These changes, however, are only the beginning. As digital learning infrastructure matures, the tools and platforms that support education are also evolving, moving beyond simply hosting content to actively enhancing how we learn.
From LMS to LLM: The Digital Evolution of Learning
Supporting the move to digital learning environments, Learning Management Systems (LMS) aimed at creating, delivering and managing digital learning content, have proved themselves as essential infrastructure. In Asia alone, LMS users are expected to reach 678.8 million by 2029, according to Research.com. Corporate users have followed suit, with Business Wire reporting that 80% in 2024 offer online learning or training solutions.
Digital learning has brought measurable gains. For instance, HR Vision reports that e-learning can reduce learning time up to 60%, and a study found that students performed better academically when using LMS for learning. But just as the world settled into Zoom classrooms and online modules, a new force has entered the arena: Generative AI.
An AI Edge to Professional Education
Following ChatGPT's landmark release in 2022, Generative AI has disrupted industries with its benefits to productivity and accessibility. Generative AI’s impact on education might be even more profound, because it is not only changing how we work, but how we learn to work.
Generative AI tools have been found to have a beneficial impact on learning. A study published this year found that ChatGPT improved learning performance, and as any student would attest, can significantly cut down average assignment writing time while improving quality.
Other tools such as AI-powered text-to-speech technology or language translation allow access to visually impaired individuals, and across multiple languages. The utilisation of Generative AI in education has brought about a natural progression to the genesis of the AI tutor.
AI tutors bring together the best of multiple worlds: on-demand availability, hyper-personalised learning paths, and multilingual access. They adapt to individual learning styles, provide real-time feedback, and identify where a student struggles and offers targeted support.
Their impact is already discernible. A Harvard study found that students using AI tutors in a physics course doubled their learning gains in less time than those in active learning classrooms, with students feeling more motivated to learn when working with AI. A similar study in Singapore found that adult learners using AI tutors not only retained more information, but also reported higher motivation levels and improved self-regulation.
The Need For New Competencies in AI and Data Governance
As Generative AI becomes more widely ubiquitous in the workplace, the demand for professionals equipped with data governance and AI governance skills is growing in tandem This shift is particularly evident among Compliance professionals and Data Protection Officers (DPOs), whose roles are rapidly evolving to address complexities introduced by AI technologies and new regulations.
A 2024 report by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) revealed that over 50% of privacy teams now engage in AI and data governance responsibilities, reflecting the expanding responsibilities of privacy officers and similar roles in navigating the new landscape. Furthermore, the rise of complex AI regulations underscores the growing importance of sufficient governance and privacy oversight.
With professionals scrambling to keep up, the necessity of professional certifications in AI and data protection and governance, such as those provided by OCEG and the IAPP, are increasing. However, for many professionals, SkillsFuture Singapore identified the lack of time as the most frequently cited barrier to upskilling.
Always On - AI Tutors for Governance Training
To meet this urgent need, Straits Interactive has developed AI tutors for IAPP and OCEG courses to allow busy professionals aiming to get certified. By keeping the “classroom light” perpetually on, these AI tutors provide an alternative for those unable to attend class physically but still wish to ace their certification assessments. By combining the accessibility of remote learning with the personalisation of Generative AI, learners can access resources 24/7 in a flexible, comprehensive manner, especially valuable for time-strapped professionals juggling work, family and upskilling.
Hosted on Capabara, our Generative AI Capability-as-a-Service platform, the AI tutors are designed for secure, adaptive learning. With trust no longer optional, its security-first environment ensures that users can engage in conversational learning without the risk of data leaks.
The IAPP and OCEG AI tutors support assessment preparation with a dual-pronged approach:
- The Master Tutor: An AI-powered conversational AI mentor that provides users with personalised and engaging learning experiences. Fitted with the body of knowledge from OCEG or IAPP, the Master Tutor can clarify and contextualise governance frameworks and privacy principles to the user’s level and even in their preferred language.
- The MCQ Assessment System: A self-testing tool which lets the user practice examination content, and provides immediate feedback and explanations for improvement.
Complementing these is a suite of supporting resources, where users can access informative videos, tools and other materials to enhance their learning experience and practical application in the real-world.
For those pursuing data privacy and AI governance, these AI tutors do more than help you ace assessments. They offer the added benefit of hands-on experience with the very technologies DPOs are expected to govern and regulate.
New Challenges, New Tools, Same Mission
For governance and privacy professionals, the road ahead is demanding but promising. Education has always been a ladder to opportunity and today, with AI, the ladder is rebuilt to become smarter and more inclusive. AI tutors are more than a novel teaching tool. Not only do they bridge time constraints for busy professionals, they also allow querying for the nth time without stretching the patience of a human trainer. They offer an intelligent, flexible way to learn where ethics, compliance and new technologies are colliding, and professionals are expected to be proficient in both practice and policy.
Whether you choose the assistance of AI, traditional learning methods, or a blended path in between, the mandate remains the same: professionals must evolve with changing times through continued learning in order to stay compliant, informed, and relevant.
Enquire about our AI tutors when you sign up for our OCEG or IAPP courses, to see if they could be useful in your upskilling journey. More details will be available on the Straits Interactive website soon.
Capabara, our Generative AI Capability-as-a-Service platform, is currently available on a limited trial basis. If your company is interested in developing Generative AI competencies and capabilities with us, write in to sales@straitsinteractive.com with your company email address. You can also stay tuned to Capabara’s latest developments by following CAPABARA on LinkedIn or heading over to capabara.com to find out more about how your organisation can be empowered through safe, secure and sustainable Generative AI adoption.
This article was originally published on 18 June at the Governance Age.
