Singapore workers embrace AI while keeping human judgment at the centre: Microsoft

SINGAPORE: The Microsoft 2026 Work Trend Index, published on June 16 (Tuesday), shows that the workforce in Singapore is ahead when it comes to adopting Artificial Intelligence, with employees using the technology responsibly and productively.

It noted that companies need stronger leadership, systems, and incentives to fully realise AI’s potential.

One of the key findings of the study is that the use of AI in Singapore remains human-led. While the global average of AI users who say they remain responsible for the thinking behind their work when using the technology is at 86%, in Singapore, this figure is higher at 88%. 

Importantly, more than half of those surveyed (52%) in Singapore identified critical thinking as the most important future skill.

Two-thirds of AI users in Singapore say that they are producing work they could not have created in the previous year. In comparison, the global average is 58%. Among the most advanced AI users in the city-state, whom the survey identifies as Frontier Professionals, the figure rises to 82%.

Interestingly, while 78% of AI users in Singapore recognise the need to adapt to the technology quickly, organisational readiness lags behind. Across the globe, the average is 65%.

The study shows that Singapore faces a “Transformation Paradox,” in that employees are adopting AI faster than organisations are adapting to the new technology. This means that the challenge is no longer getting workers to use AI, but to redesign jobs, workflows, and incentives to maximize the value created by AI. 

While across the globe, 26% of the survey’s respondents said that their company’s leaders were clearly aligned on AI, in Singapore, the figure is slightly lower at 24%. Moreover, only 14% say that their companies have strong incentives for redesigning work with AI.

“Singapore’s workforce is among the most AI-ready in the world, with employees already using AI to unlock new ways of working while keeping human judgment at the centre.

The opportunity now is for organisations to reinforce that momentum with clearer leadership alignment, stronger managerial signals, and operating models designed for reinvention. When that happens, AI becomes a catalyst for better decisions and sustainable advantage,” said Wee Luen Chia, Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore. /TISG

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