By the WahLiao desk · Last verified 1 October 2026
Singapore built its position in Super Intelligence, the kind of AI behind ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, in deliberate steps rather than one big bet. It started with a research programme, AI Singapore, launched in May 2017 with up to S$150 million over five years. National AI Strategies followed in 2019 and 2023, alongside voluntary governance rules, a testing toolkit called AI Verify and SEA-LION, open-source language models for Southeast Asia. Two commitments of more than S$1 billion each followed, in 2024 and January 2026. In February 2026 the Prime Minister took personal charge through a new National AI Council.
The most useful way to read the story: Singapore has not tried to out-build the United States or China on the biggest models. Its bet, in the Prime Minister’s framing at Budget 2026, is to use Super Intelligence “effectively, responsibly, and at speed”, and to be the place others trust to test and govern it. For the policy detail, see Singapore’s Super Intelligence plan; this page is the story of how it got here.
Singapore’s AI story: quick facts
| First national programme | AI Singapore, 3 May 2017, up to S$150 million over five years from the National Research Foundation |
| Strategies | National AI Strategy, 13 November 2019; NAIS 2.0, December 2023; ten refreshed priorities announced 20 May 2026 |
| Governance | Model AI Governance Framework (January 2019, second edition January 2020); generative AI version 30 May 2024 |
| Testing | AI Verify toolkit, May 2022; AI Verify Foundation, 7 June 2023 |
| Home-grown models | SEA-LION, open-source models for Southeast Asian languages, under a S$70 million national programme |
| Big money | Over S$1 billion over five years (Budget 2024); over S$1 billion for public AI research, 2025 to 2030 |
| Who is in charge | National AI Council, set up February 2026 and chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong |
The WahLiao Verdict
| The strategy | Use it well, govern it early, do not chase the biggest model. |
| Real strength | Governance and testing. AI Verify gave Singapore a seat at global tables. |
| Home-grown | SEA-LION is useful for regional languages, not a rival to ChatGPT. |
| The rankings | Top ten on most indices. Flattering, but read the method. |
| For you | The policy money is mostly reaching you as training, tools and grants. |
The timeline
| When | What happened | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| May 2017 | AI Singapore launched, up to S$150 million over five years | First national AI programme: research, industry projects, talent |
| January 2019 | Model AI Governance Framework, first edition, released at Davos | Early, voluntary rules for companies using AI |
| November 2019 | National AI Strategy unveiled by then-DPM Heng Swee Keat | Five national projects, from freight to chronic disease |
| May 2022 | AI Verify launched, billed as the world’s first AI governance testing framework and toolkit | Moved governance from principles to tests |
| June 2023 | AI Verify Foundation launched with Google, IBM, Microsoft and others | Opened testing to a global open-source community |
| 2023 | S$70 million National Multimodal LLM Programme, home of SEA-LION | Models built for Southeast Asian languages |
| December 2023 | NAIS 2.0 | Shift from projects to system-wide adoption |
| February 2024 | Budget 2024: over S$1 billion over five years for compute, talent and industry | First billion-dollar commitment |
| May 2024 | Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI | Nine dimensions for the chatbot era |
| January 2026 | Over S$1 billion for public AI research, 2025 to 2030 | Second billion, aimed at research and talent |
| February 2026 | Budget 2026: National AI Council, four National AI Missions | AI moved under the Prime Minister |
| May 2026 | Ten refreshed NAIS priorities announced at ATxSummit | The current plan |
2017 to 2019: a research bet
The story starts with AI Singapore, announced on 3 May 2017. The National Research Foundation committed up to S$150 million over five years with three aims: use AI to solve national problems such as traffic and care for an ageing population, invest in deep research, and get industry to adopt it, with a target of 100 meaningful AI projects.
The first National AI Strategy followed on 13 November 2019, announced by then Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. It named five national projects: freight planning, municipal services, chronic disease prediction, personalised education and border clearance. For how the field itself changed in that period, see the history of Super Intelligence.
Rules before laws: governance and AI Verify
Singapore’s most distinctive move was to write guidance early and keep it voluntary. The Model AI Governance Framework was released at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2019, with a second edition in January 2020. It told companies how to explain AI decisions, keep humans in the loop and manage risk, without creating an AI law.
In May 2022 the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Personal Data Protection Commission launched AI Verify, which combines technical tests with process checks so a company can show, rather than simply claim, how its system behaves. In June 2023 the government opened it up through the AI Verify Foundation, whose premier members included Google, IBM, Microsoft, Red Hat and Salesforce. When chatbots arrived, IMDA and the Foundation published the Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI on 30 May 2024, covering nine dimensions including accountability, incident reporting, content provenance and safety research. The wider debate those frameworks respond to is on our safety and risk page.
SEA-LION: models that speak the region
The big chatbots are trained mostly on English and a handful of large languages. SEA-LION is Singapore’s answer: a family of open-source models built by AI Singapore to understand Southeast Asian languages and cultures, including Malay, Tamil, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia and Vietnamese. It sits under the S$70 million National Multimodal LLM Programme run by IMDA with AI Singapore and A*STAR. The latest release, announced on 18 September 2026, was built with NVIDIA. SEA-LION models are free to download for research and commercial use. They are tools for developers and companies, not a consumer app you will use instead of ChatGPT. For where SEA-LION sits among the big labs, see who makes the models.
Money and people
NAIS 2.0 in December 2023 changed the tone from projects to adoption across the whole economy. The funding came in Budget 2024 on 16 February 2024: more than S$1 billion over five years for compute, talent and industry development. That included S$500 million for high-performance computing and a goal of 15,000 AI practitioners, roughly triple the pool at the time. A second commitment of more than S$1 billion for public AI research and talent from 2025 to 2030 was announced in January 2026.
Talent has a long thread. AI Singapore’s AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP) is a nine-month, full-time, hands-on programme for Singaporeans who already have some machine-learning knowledge; apprentices work on real company projects rather than in a classroom. If you are thinking about a career in this, see careers in AI in Singapore.
Budget 2026, delivered on 12 February 2026, raised the political stakes. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a National AI Council, chaired by himself, and four National AI Missions in advanced manufacturing, connectivity, financial services and healthcare. On 20 May 2026 Minister Josephine Teo set out ten refreshed NAIS priorities, including expanding the Lorong AI hub into a larger “Kampong AI” at one-north. What Budget 2026 means for workers is covered in Budget 2026 and your job.
How Singapore ranks
On the Tortoise Global AI Index, whose latest edition was published in September 2024, Singapore placed third of 83 countries, behind the United States and China, and first when results are scaled for population and economy size. On Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index 2025, published in January 2026 and covering 195 countries, Singapore placed seventh, behind the United States, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Korea and Germany, and ranked fourth for AI infrastructure.
Treat rankings as a rough guide. They measure different things, their methods change between editions, and small score differences can move a country several places. The consistent message is that Singapore sits in the global top ten, not that it leads.
What it means for you
Most of this policy reaches ordinary Singaporeans in three practical ways. First, training: citizens aged 18 and above who finish an eligible SkillsFuture AI course since 16 September 2026 can get six months of a premium tool free, explained in the SkillsFuture AI subscription. SkillsFuture is now run by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA). Second, if you run a small business, grants and tax deductions help with adoption: see grants for SMEs. Third, the governance work means Singapore’s approach leans on guidance and existing laws, such as the PDPA and rules on deepfakes, rather than a single AI Act; see your data and the PDPA and deepfakes and the law.
What it does not mean: that a Singapore-made chatbot will replace the tools you already use. The practical step is the same as ever: learn to use it well.
Singapore’s AI story: FAQ
When did Singapore start its national AI programme?
AI Singapore was launched on 3 May 2017 with up to S$150 million over five years from the National Research Foundation. The first National AI Strategy followed on 13 November 2019.
What is AI Verify?
An AI governance testing framework and toolkit launched by IMDA and the PDPC in May 2022. Since June 2023 it has been developed through the open-source AI Verify Foundation.
What is SEA-LION?
A family of open-source language models developed by AI Singapore for Southeast Asian languages and cultures, funded under the S$70 million National Multimodal LLM Programme.
Who chairs Singapore’s National AI Council?
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The council was announced in Budget 2026 on 12 February 2026 to give strategic direction to Singapore’s AI agenda, alongside four National AI Missions.
Where does Singapore rank in AI globally?
Third on the Tortoise Global AI Index (2024 edition, the latest), and seventh of 195 on Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index 2025, published January 2026.
Read next
This page belongs to Super Intelligence. Next, read The Super Intelligence glossary.
Sources checked 1 October 2026: MDDI, AI.SG national programme, May 2017; MDDI, National AI Strategy unveiled, November 2019; PDPC, Model AI Governance Framework, second edition; PDPC, second edition announcement; MDDI, AI Verify launch, May 2022; PDPC, AI Verify Foundation launch; Morgan Lewis, Model AI Governance Framework for Generative AI; IMDA, National Multimodal LLM Programme; AI Singapore, SEA-LION; MDDI, Budget 2024 AI initiatives; AI Singapore, AI Apprenticeship Programme; GovInsider, Budget 2026 and the National AI Council; MDDI, NAIS refreshed priorities factsheet, May 2026; Tortoise Media, Global AI Index; Oxford Insights, Government AI Readiness Index 2025. General information. Last updated 1 October 2026.
