Why Singapore’s AI moment needs more than technology

Singapore’s ambition for its next economic chapter is clear: embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with people at the center. The investment in AI is strong, with 80% of C-suite leaders increasing their AI investments and 45% of organizations already piloting or deploying agentic AI. Despite this confidence, only 18% of organizations report widespread, sustained business value from AI.

This AI moment is different from previous digital transformation waves because AI reasons, decides, and acts, rather than passively executing tasks. The three main barriers to AI success are data, institutional knowledge, and people. The true competitive advantage lies not in machines replicating human skills but in the skills machines cannot replicate: contextual awareness, interpersonal communication, and judgment to challenge AI outputs.

To maximize AI's potential, organizations must redesign work, breaking it down into individual tasks and determining what AI should handle, what requires human judgment, and where they complement each other. This requires a continuous learning loop, where employees supervise agents, provide real-time feedback, and build trust in the technology and the organization's intentions.

In Singapore, only 23% of employees trust employers to act in their best interest when introducing AI, highlighting the need for consistent, credible action and leaders to own it as an operational requirement.