Singtel AI.dea: AI for SMBs

In one example shared during the discussion, a social service organisation explored using AI to simulate client interactions for training purposes. The idea was to shorten the time needed for staff to reach competency while maintaining consistent quality in feedback and supervision.

The AI.dea programme: bridging AI experimentation and real-world implementation

Singtel also drew on its internal experience to shape the programme. The company shared that its AI transformation had moved from a “let 1,000 flowers bloom” approach, where departments experimented independently, to a more structured, coordinated model.

Three key areas emerged from that journey: 

That last point came up repeatedly. AI adoption was not just about tools, but about culture, training, and change management. Without employee buy-in, even well-designed systems risked failing to deliver value.

Case study: Care Corner’s practical AI adoption

Care Corner Singapore, a social service agency and nonprofit, sought a clearer strategy and roadmap to move beyond being just a productive user of AI to becoming a transformative one. The agency, led by CEO Christian Chao, seized the opportunity when approached by Singtel about the AI.dea programme, with Chao bringing two other agency heads along for the journey.

Chao emphasised the importance of responsible AI adoption for a nonprofit: “As a nonprofit, every resource we invest is precious. You do not want to commit to something and then realise there has been a lot of waste, and that the promises you thought would materialise simply do not. So we felt this was the more responsible way to approach AI adoption. As you know, there is so much excitement and noise around AI, and the responsible thing as leaders is to take it seriously and make the investment wisely.”

Key Outcomes of Phase One

In Phase One, Chao’s cohort identified pain points and use cases. The programme structure, which incorporated perspectives from the other agencies, helped Care Corner prioritise its initiatives. The agency decided to focus on using AI to reduce the time-to-readiness (or time-to-competence) for staff in certain work areas:

The Role of Governance and Security

A crucial part of the process was gaining access to legal and security expertise, which helped change how Care Corner sequences its work:

A candid fireside chat

The launch’s most candid stretch came in the fireside chat moderated by Ho, with Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Jasmin Lau as the guest of honour.

The Prime Minister, Ho, noted that he has recently emphasised that AI is being scaled across government, enterprises, and society. The question is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to do so effectively, securely, and responsibly at scale. How is the government accelerating AI adoption across the economy, especially for SMBs?

Minister Lau began by drawing the boundary of her own experience. “Let me first explain the context in which my answers sit. I am not an SMB owner. I have never run a business, so I am always careful when I talk about SMBs, because I cannot prescribe solutions. But I can give you a sense of the world we are in.”

Singapore, she said, is quite good at getting its people and businesses excited about a new technology. Sometimes there is hype, people get over-excited, and then they realise it is not quite what they expected. But at least they respond, and that puts the country in a reasonable position. “We are small enough that when we say something important is coming, people sit up and pay attention.”

She was careful to push back on the idea that Singapore had simply chosen AI as a pillar by preference. “AI is going to hit the world whether we like it or not. So we choose to focus on it, not because we think it is automatically the right answer, but because it is coming, and we need to position Singapore to give it the best possible chance of success.”

That framing, she said, explains everything that follows. “Why are we getting SMBs to adopt AI? Why are we getting all our workers to learn about it? Because it is going to hit Singapore hard, just as it is hitting the rest of the world. We want to put ourselves in the path of possible success, and give as many of our workers as possible a good chance at a good job in the future.”

From her conversations with SMB leaders, the Minister said most have gone through a recognisable cycle. First, excitement. Then the realisation that it is not so straightforward, that doing a proof of concept does not mean the thing can actually go into production. Then questions about risk. Do you open your data? What happens if something scrapes it? Then it becomes a conversation about change management. Are workers fearful? If a leader says, “I want AI”, how does the rest of the organisation feel about that? Is AI being forced on them, or do they genuinely believe it is a tool to help them?

“The initial excitement is great, but SMBs are now moving into a phase where they are realising deployment into production is genuinely hard.” That, she said, is precisely where partners like Singtel and SIM Academy come in, alongside large corporations that have departments and resources SMBs simply do not have.

It is not, she stressed, a problem unique to SMBs. The Government has the same challenge. “Many agencies are extremely excited about AI right now. Everyone wants to build a new dashboard or an AI-enabled checklist. But if you really ask, what is the problem we are actually trying to solve? What service do citizens actually want? That takes a lot more time to figure out, and it is not the glamorous part.”

The most striking part of her message, though, was a permission slip. “Not every SMB has to use AI. Just as not all individuals need to use every AI tool available. But every SMB should go through the process of thinking about the possibilities, and then intentionally deciding yes or no. If an SMB decides AI is not for them right now, that is an equally valid and important decision. The key is that it is made intentionally.”

A broader push for SMB digitalisation

AI.dea was positioned within Singtel’s wider ecosystem of SMB programmes, which already included initiatives in cybersecurity, digital marketing, and sustainability.

The underlying idea is consistent in providing SMBs with more than standalone tools. They needed structured support, practical guidance, and access to trusted partners.

There was also a note of caution from policymakers. While AI adoption was encouraged, businesses were reminded not to pursue it blindly. Not every use case requires AI, and poorly implemented projects could introduce risks around data security and governance.

AI.dea reflected a shift in how AI was being approached in Singapore’s business landscape. The conversation had moved from whether to adopt AI to how to do it responsibly and effectively.

Whether it succeeds at scale will depend on uptake and long-term outcomes, which would require data on participant success rates and implementation follow-through. For now, it positioned itself as a practical starting point for businesses ready to move beyond experimentation.

And for many SMBs, that first step might be the hardest one.