IMDA to boost AI adoption among Singapore enterprises with new bootcamp

[SINGAPORE] The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is launching a programme to increase the adoption of AI among local enterprises.

Known as the Digital Leaders Accelerator Bootcamp (DLAB), it aims to equip participants with capabilities, tools and methodologies in AI transformation and digital change management, spanning workflow and operations, IMDA said on Friday (Mar 20).

Enterprises will also learn to build AI capabilities by implementing practical projects that address real business challenges and deliver immediate value.

IMDA said the programme will help with its goal of supporting 2,000 digital leaders across sectors in harnessing AI over the next three years.

Through an initial collaboration with Boston Consulting Group and EY-Parthenon, participants will receive specialised support from practitioners in strategy workshops and project development sessions.

Part of broader national effort

Only about 15 per cent of SMEs currently use AI – a quarter of the adoption rate among larger firms – said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the bootcamp’s launch, which was attended by more than 200 enterprises.

“Singapore’s vision for AI is to ensure that many companies and their employees benefit – not just a few,” she said.

In her speech, she noted that the move to have Prime Minister Lawrence Wong chair a new National AI Council – announced in Budget 2026 – signals that the “whole effort is being elevated”.

“Under the National AI Council, these activities and efforts are intended to give adoption greater momentum and ensure we build both breadth and depth in Singapore’s AI ecosystem,” she added.

The bootcamp is part of the National AI Impact Programme, which builds on Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0, which aims to support 10,000 enterprises in using AI over the next three years.

It also builds on the existing Digital Leaders Programme, which supports digitally ambitious non-ICT enterprises in developing capabilities and expanding both locally and abroad.

About 600 businesses have benefited from the programme to date.

Ng Cher Pong, chief executive of IMDA, said that the effort to support enterprises in their AI transformation beyond DLAB will continue.

IMDA will provide businesses with deeper technical support through specialised expertise and subsidised training programmes to uplift both technical and non-technical workers.

Leaders should step up

Teo also highlighted the importance of leadership readiness by enterprises when adopting AI.

“When we think about people not being ready, it is not just employees we are talking about – it is the bosses themselves,” she said.

At a fireside chat on AI adoption among enterprises, Sagar Goel, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting, noted that while adoption is growing, value creation remains limited.

About 60 per cent of companies globally are still in the early stages, and that only about 5 per cent are deriving meaningful value.

Goel said that leadership engagement made the difference in that minority of companies reaping the value of AI, in that the leaders there “are not just talking about AI; they are showing that they can and are using AI”.

He added: “The value from AI comes from reshaping how you think about workflows end to end, starting with the question: What business outcomes do I want?”

Goel was joined by Abhishek Chakravarty, partner and technology and AI transformation leader at EY, and Johnson Poh, assistant chief executive of IMDA’s Enterprise Transformation and Innovation Group, for the discussion.

Chakravarty highlighted the role of agentic AI in sustaining transformation, noting that it can help integrate digital data and remove manual processes. 

“Agentic AI plays a role because you are able to remove the manual part of the work,” he said.

Chakravarty said that under the bootcamp, EY “aims to equip Singapore businesses with not just AI pilots, but also the confidence, capabilities and roadmap needed to scale AI responsibly and sustainably”.