{"id":39566,"date":"2026-03-27T04:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=39566"},"modified":"2026-03-27T04:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:47:36","slug":"singapore-firms-advancing-ai-adoption-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=39566","title":{"rendered":"Singapore firms advancing AI adoption: survey"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">From analysing data to assisting customer service, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday work.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Across Singapore and South-east Asia, companies are moving from experimenting with AI to using it in daily operations, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edb.gov.sg\/en\/business-insights\/market-and-industry-reports\/ai-in-southeast-asia-an-era-of-opportunity.html?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">AI in Southeast Asia: An Era of Opportunity report<\/span><\/a> published on Feb 11, 2026 by McKinsey &amp; Company, the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Tech in Asia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Based on a survey with 330 executives across 10 industries, the study found that 81 per cent of firms in South-east Asia have moved past AI experimentation. In Singapore, 56 per cent of companies reported progress towards scaled AI adoption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Singapore now hosts more than 60 AI centres of excellence, including those operated by Alibaba Cloud, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle, helping to bring new AI tools, jobs and training opportunities into the local workforce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">As investment and innovation in AI expands, concerns about job displacement are growing. Industry leaders emphasise that AI is reshaping roles rather than eliminating them, favouring those who learn to work alongside the technology.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\"><i>Take a look at how companies across South-east Asia are adopting AI and the key trends shaping the region\u2019s digital transformation.<\/i><\/p>\n<figure class=\"default inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/58d1b828fbf6ed83f6519726ec3ca0bd1c6554133ee31bb4fe744d58f52a8c2c?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/58d1b828fbf6ed83f6519726ec3ca0bd1c6554133ee31bb4fe744d58f52a8c2c?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/58d1b828fbf6ed83f6519726ec3ca0bd1c6554133ee31bb4fe744d58f52a8c2c?w=900\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/58d1b828fbf6ed83f6519726ec3ca0bd1c6554133ee31bb4fe744d58f52a8c2c\" alt=\"ai report edb\" class=\"aspect-default flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover default article-default mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"mobile:mx-16 tablet:mx-00 flex flex-col gap-08 py-16 desktop:pb-24\">\n<p class=\"font-eyebrow-baseline-regular text-secondary\" data-testid=\"inline-media-caption-test-id\">This infographic was first published in Tech In Asia.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In the report, Mr Vikram Rao, director of growth markets and strategic accounts for ASEAN at Amazon Web Services, described AI as \u201cthe biggest opportunity since cloud computing and possibly even since the internet\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He highlighted the need for both technical and non-technical training to prepare employees for an AI-driven future, advising young professionals entering the workforce to focus on strong fundamentals, systems thinking and intellectual curiosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Across the region, more companies are using AI to assist employees by automating repetitive tasks and supporting decision-making, while still relying on human oversight, particularly in customer-facing roles.<b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Yet a shortage of skilled workers remains the biggest obstacle to AI adoption, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Filling the skills gap will be crucial to realising AI\u2019s potential, and Singapore is tackling this through national workforce initiatives under its National AI Strategy 2.0. Programmes such as TechSkills Accelerator aim to improve AI literacy not only among engineers but also non-technical professionals, helping workers understand how to collaborate more effectively with AI tools in their roles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Experts say future-ready skills include data literacy, critical thinking and the ability to work alongside AI systems \u2013 rather than technical coding expertise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At regional technology firm Grab, AI models and AI-driven applications are available to its employees and ecosystem of partners to enhance efficiency and support, in turn improving top-line growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Said Mr Nikhil Dwarakanath, group head of data and analytics at Grab: \u201cMerchants using the merchant AI assistant have seen their business grow by about 10 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">While AI can automate routine tasks, companies are also learning that human judgment remains essential.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At Grab, AI has reduced manual workload in areas such as customer support, but the technology still requires careful human supervision to maintain service quality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Mr Dwarakanath emphasised that organisations must balance automation with responsibility, and that \u201cwe have to be intentional about upskilling but also meeting people where they are to provide support\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edb.gov.sg\/en\/business-insights\/market-and-industry-reports\/ai-in-southeast-asia-an-era-of-opportunity.html?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\"><i><u>Read the full report and discover how your company can scale up adoption and capture the full value of AI in South-east Asia<\/u><\/i><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i>\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"default inline-media-wrapper\" data-testid=\"inline-media-test-id\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-start relative w-fit\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/832a0b92b5bd61792316b2da6a0307e5056910d06c3dae059d28a4aa791e94f2?w=480\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 720px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/832a0b92b5bd61792316b2da6a0307e5056910d06c3dae059d28a4aa791e94f2?w=720\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 721px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/832a0b92b5bd61792316b2da6a0307e5056910d06c3dae059d28a4aa791e94f2?w=763\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/832a0b92b5bd61792316b2da6a0307e5056910d06c3dae059d28a4aa791e94f2\" alt=\"edb ai report\" class=\"aspect-default flex items-start shrink-0 object-cover default article-default mobile:w-auto tablet:w-auto\" data-testid=\"image-test-id\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/business\/ai-adoption-southeast-asia-progress-challenges-edb-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From analysing data to assisting customer service, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday work.\u00a0 Across Singapore and South-east Asia, companies are moving from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}