New 麻豆原创 Value of AI Report 2026 finds Singapore businesses expect stronger听Artificial Intelligence (AI)听returns, while gaps in data, skills and governance could slow value听realization.听听
SINGAPORE 4 August 2026听鈥� A new study by 麻豆原创 SE (NYSE: 麻豆原创) and Oxford Economics has revealed that Singaporean businesses see significant value ahead from agentic AI, even as many acknowledge they are not yet fully prepared to govern, scale and realize its potential.听
听According to听The 麻豆原创 Value of AI Report 2026,听return on investment (ROI)听from agentic AI is expected to reach听US$9.8m听(SGD$12.6听million1)听in Singapore over the next two years, almost double last year鈥檚 estimate of听US$4.9m听(SGD$6.3听million).听听
听This comes as Singaporean companies expect to drive a total AI ROI of 19% this year, equivalent to USD$3.5m (SGD$4.5 million), up from 16% last year. That ROI is expected to grow to 36% in two years鈥� time, equivalent to USD$10.3m (SGD$13.3 million).听
听The research听鈥撎齱hich surveyed 2,600听business leaders across 13 countries, including 200 from Singapore听鈥撎齭hows that over eight in ten Singaporean businesses听(89%)听believe agentic AI has moderate to听very high听potential to transform their听organization. Yet it听remains听early days for听the technology, with only 2% of businesses saying they are fully prepared for agentic AI. The majority say they are either partially prepared or not prepared at all.听
听Commenting on the findings,听Eileen Chua, Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Singapore听said: 鈥淪ingapore businesses are moving from AI experimentation to AI execution, and the expected returns from agentic AI show just how much confidence there is in the technology. But value will not come from AI adoption alone. It will come from connecting AI to business data,听processes听and governance, so organizations can move faster while still acting with control and confidence.鈥�听
Singapore businesses advance on AI, but maturity听remains听uneven听
听The study found that AI is already becoming embedded in day-to-day听work across Singapore. Today, over a quarter of all tasks听(27%)听in the average Singaporean business are supported by AI. This is expected to increase to 47% in two years.听
听However, many听organizations听are still building the leadership,听skills听and operating models听required听to scale AI effectively.听Less than听half of Singaporean companies have a dedicated AI leader responsible for AI adoption, at 45%. Even fewer听(32%)听have leadership KPIs for AI or provide training on AI capabilities and risks听(37%).听
听This is creating growing pressure on workforce planning and skills. Almost eight in ten Singaporean businesses听(79%)听are not convinced their company upskilling is keeping pace with the evolution of AI tools.听
听AI is no longer a side project. It is becoming part of how work gets done,鈥� said Eileen Chua, Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Singapore. 鈥淎s Singapore advances AI bilingualism, the real opportunity is to build a workforce that understands both the technology and the business context to apply it responsibly. That means organizations need to treat AI capability as a business capability. Skills, leadership听accountability听and responsible usage cannot sit behind the technology curve, especially as companies begin to explore more autonomous AI use cases.鈥�听
听Data,听skills听and governance gaps could hold back AI value听
听Many听Singapore businesses continue to face foundational challenges that could become more pressing in an agentic AI future.听
听Data quality听remains听a major barrier. The share of businesses that say they are data-ready for AI dropped from 62% in 2025 to 55% in 2026. At the same time, 82% of companies revealed challenges with incomplete data. These issues are already affecting business operations, with 81% of businesses experiencing rework,听delays听or backlogs due to low-quality AI听outputs.听
听Governance is another critical obstacle. Only around one in ten Singaporean businesses say either their skills, at 12%, or their processes and frameworks, at 10%, are fully ready to govern AI effectively.听
听These gaps may become more significant as agentic AI adoption grows. Today, 27% of Singaporean companies do not have a human-in-the-loop process for agentic workflows, 30% do not have permission and access controls for agents, and only 40% have a registry of the agents in their business. This is critical given two-thirds of Singaporean businesses (66%) either agree or do not know if they are deploying agents faster than they can govern them.听
听Eileen Chua, Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Singapore听continued: 鈥淎gentic AI raises the stakes for enterprise readiness. When AI systems can act across workflows, businesses need clear visibility into where agents are听operating, what data they can access, and where human oversight is听required. Without that foundation, organizations risk creating more activity without achieving better outcomes鈥�.听
听The findings point to a clear opportunity for Singapore businesses: AI value will increasingly depend on how well听organizations听can connect intelligent technologies to the data, processes and people that run their business.