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TL;DR: Singapore is one of the most connected countries in the world (there are more wireless broadband subscriptions than there are people). However, connectivity is an entirely different story for the around 300,000 domestic workers who face restrictions like being barred from using the home WiFi, having their devices confiscated, or being asked to install tracking software.
Intense backlash aside, what I find most hilarious about the Esquire interview is that its author also wrote an opinion piece in January titled: “Unpopular Opinion: We Can’t Game The System. The cliché is right, good things do take time.”
On Reddit, users express disbelief at food delivery app Grab’s use of disturbing and not at all flattering AI-generated images and descriptions for menu items.
Everyone, including the author of the ill-fated Esquire interview, seems to understand that good things do take time, effort, and intentionality. So why is everyone – from your faceless big tech corporation to your unfriendly neighbourhood property agent – embracing such obviously slipshod AI-generated content?
A 2025 Reuters report found that Meta’s internal research estimates their platforms are involved in a third of all successful scams in the US – and that around 10 per cent of the company’s 2024 annual revenue comes from running advertisements for scams and banned goods.
Those hoping that regulatory oversight might curb the flood of AI slop will be left wanting, because the government was an early mover in the AI slop domain.
Really, the AI slopification of Singapore is emblematic of one of the most Singaporean of feelings: apathy and indifference. Nobody cares as long as they’re still getting paid.