Most Singapore business leaders believe mastering AI is crucial but 80% of employees unfamiliar with agent-based AI

SINGAPORE: A majority of Singapore business leaders and employees believe that mastering artificial intelligence (AI) is key to staying competitive, but many remain unfamiliar with newer forms of the technology, a survey by NTUC LearningHub has found.

The survey, which polled more than 150 business leaders and 300 full-time employees, revealed that over 80 per cent of employees and nearly half of business leaders admitted they were unfamiliar with agent-based AI. This comes even as three-quarters of leaders said their companies are already at various stages of adopting such systems, with 20 per cent in the exploratory phase and 30 per cent in testing.

Despite these efforts, confidence in workforce readiness remains low. About 70 per cent of leaders and 80 per cent of employees said their organisations are still somewhat or completely unskilled in using agent-based AI.

NTUC LearningHub’s Assistant Chief Executive and Chief Core Skills Officer Amos Tan noted that while businesses recognise the importance of AI, adoption has yet to take off in a meaningful way.

“While companies and individuals see the value and necessity of incorporating AI budgets into their businesses and even workplaces, they haven’t really started using it yet,” said Mr Tan. “It’s not as common as what people have been using with ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini.”

The survey also highlighted gaps in understanding how agent-based AI will impact daily work. Both leaders and employees, however, expressed a desire to close this knowledge gap. More than 70 per cent of employees said they are willing to take up training in agent-based AI, while 60 per cent of business leaders plan to arrange for such training within the next two years.

NTUC LearningHub said these findings point to the urgent need for upskilling initiatives to ensure that Singapore’s workforce is equipped to harness the potential of emerging AI technologies.