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Singapore is positioning itself at the forefront of the global digital transformation journey with a strategic focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for economic growth, societal advancement, and global leadership.
At the heart of this endeavour lies the unveiling of the Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB), alongside the introduction of GPT-Legal – a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionising the legal sector through Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).
Led by Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, the DEB represents a comprehensive roadmap designed to propel Singaporean enterprises towards digital maturity and competitiveness. Developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the DEB seeks to empower businesses across various sectors by harnessing emerging technologies such as AI.
Its overarching goal is to create an ecosystem conducive to experimentation, innovation, and resilience, where Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to embrace digital technologies to enhance their productivity and adaptability.
The DEB outlines four key focus areas aimed at empowering enterprises to thrive in the digital age.
- Firstly, it seeks to enable businesses to adopt AI-enabled solutions, thereby enhancing their intelligence and agility.
- Secondly, the DEB aims to facilitate the adoption of cloud-based and integrated solutions, enabling enterprises to scale faster and operate more efficiently.
- Thirdly, it prioritises strengthening cybersecurity measures to ensure the resilience of Singapore’s digital ecosystem.
- Finally, the DEB emphasises the importance of upskilling workers to harness the full potential of digital capabilities, ensuring that Singapore’s workforce remains competitive in the global marketplace.
To support SMEs in their digital transformation journey, IMDA has collaborated with sector leads to develop Industry Digital Plans (IDPs) – tailored roadmaps designed to guide enterprises in specific sectors towards digitalisation. These IDPs highlight AI-enabled solutions that address the unique needs of each sector, offering practical pathways for SMEs to embrace digital technologies effectively. IMDA anticipates that over 15,000 SMEs will benefit from AI-enabled solutions under the SMEs Go Digital programme in the next two years.
Furthermore, IMDA’s GenAI x Digital Leaders initiative aims to accelerate the digital transformation of digitally mature SMEs by providing access to cutting-edge AI solutions and expertise. By partnering with technology giants, IMDA aims to empower over 400 enterprises to unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation through AI adoption.
In addition to fostering digital innovation within the private sector, Singapore is also committed to enhancing AI capabilities in the legal profession. Through a strategic partnership between IMDA and the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), GPT-Legal—a tailored language model for the legal sector – will be integrated into SAL’s research platform, LawNet.
This integration will enable legal professionals to leverage AI for tasks such as summarising unreported judgments, freeing up time for higher-value legal work. Moreover, SAL will collaborate with academic institutions to develop AI specialists in the legal profession, ensuring that Singapore remains at the forefront of legaltech innovation.
Beyond domestic initiatives, Singapore is actively shaping global discussions on AI governance. As the host of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Body (AIAB) meeting, Singapore facilitated dialogue between the AIAB and the Digital Forum of Small States (Digital FOSS). This engagement session provided a platform for small states to voice their perspectives on AI governance and contribute to the development of the Global Digital Compact – a framework aimed at promoting inclusive and responsible AI governance on a global scale.
Through these initiatives and partnerships, Singapore is positioning itself as a leader in leveraging AI for sustainable growth and global impact. By embracing digital transformation and fostering innovation, Singapore aims to build a resilient and future-ready economy that benefits businesses, workers, and society as a whole.