Driven by his interest in data, Sidney Tio Xi Rong is pursuing a PhD related to artificial intelligence (AI) at SMU's School of Computing and Information Systems. He had been writing analytical reports during his job at A*STAR's human resources department, and realised his passion for deriving solutions directly from data. He joined Singapore's AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP) upon its launch in 2018, designed to nurture local AI talent from diverse backgrounds. Despite lacking a computer science or engineering background, Sidney successfully transitioned to become an AI engineer over three years. He aims to graduate in 2026 and contribute to multinational technology companies like Google and Alibaba in developing more human-centric AI products.