The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore have developed the AI for Enterprise Impact Playbook to help local companies assess their AI readiness and choose the right support before investing further in the technology.
The guide is aimed at digitally progressive local companies, or digital leaders, that have already started investing in internal digital capabilities and are financially able to sustain transformation efforts.
Developed under the National AI Impact Programme, it is meant to help these companies navigate a crowded support landscape where grants, advisory services, skills programmes and agency schemes can make it hard to know where to begin.
“Knowing what to do with AI is one challenge. Knowing where to start and which support to tap is another. That gap has costs — in time, in missed opportunity, and in transformation efforts that stall before they scale,” says Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How at the ATxEnterprise 2026 event.
He continues: “What makes this different is its starting point: it begins with the enterprise, not the programme. Built on insights from real transformation journeys, it helps enterprises assess where they stand across five dimensions…then maps them directly to the most relevant, actionable support.”
Check readiness, then invest
The guide breaks AI adoption into three stages: diagnose, match and act.
In the first stage of "diagnose", companies complete a self-assessment using a built-in checklist. The checklist scores them from Level 1, for those just starting out, to Level 4, for companies that are scaling and leading. It covers five dimensions, including strategy and leadership, talent and culture, data and governance, technology deployment and integration, and value creation.
That structure is meant to make companies examine more than the AI tools they want to buy. A business may have software in place but still lack clean data, leadership backing, staff readiness or a clear link to returns. The playbook’s emphasis on value creation asks companies to measure AI by outcomes such as productivity gains, cost savings, new revenue streams, and new business models.
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The second stage of "match" links companies to enterprise AI transformation and workforce upskilling support.
"Act", the third stage, points them to practical next steps, including where to find information on programmes or grants and how to apply for them. The aim is not for companies to do everything at once but to help them take the next step and progress from there.
The playbook is available free on IMDA’s Digital Leaders Programme webpage and is designed for digital leaders across different company sizes, sectors and stages of AI adoption. It will be updated as AI technology and enterprise needs change.
Recognising SMEs that show AI adoption results
The announcement comes as Singapore’s enterprise AI push gathers pace. Tan says AI adoption among enterprises rose more than fivefold from 4.3% in 2023 to 23.5% in 2025.
Among firms already using AI, 68% plan to train and upskill workers in AI capabilities, while 63% plan to redesign jobs and workflows around AI.
To recognise companies that have already translated AI adoption into business outcomes, IMDA and the Singapore Business Federation will launch the inaugural SME AI Impact Awards 2026.
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The awards will recognise up to 30 SMEs that have either built proprietary AI tools or successfully implemented off-the-shelf solutions, with winners receiving the SME AI Impact Award Trustmark.
Nominations will run from June 1 to August 14, with winners to be celebrated at SMEs Go Digital Day on Oct. 13.
“The awards will recognise SMEs that have made a measurable impact: whether through proprietary AI solutions they have built themselves, or by successfully implementing off-the-shelf AI tools, and achieving real business outcomes. If you have done the work, step forward. Show other companies that are hesitating to start, what can be done,” says Tan.
