Budget 2026: PM Wong to chair National AI Council for manufacturing, finance and healthcare push

Singapore will establish a new National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Council chaired by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to harness AI as a strategic advantage in a changing global landscape.

Announcing the move on 12 February 2026 during his Budget 2026 speech, PM Wong said the inter-ministerial council will launch and drive AI missions in four key sectors at a national level.

The four sectors identified are advanced manufacturing, connectivity, finance and healthcare.

“In a changed world, a decisive factor for success will be how we harness new technologies – foremost among them, artificial intelligence,” PM Wong said in his address.

He said the council would focus on unlocking competitive advantages by deploying AI at speed and scale, rather than relying on isolated pilot projects.

“To fully realise AI’s potential, we must go beyond individual pilots and isolated experiments,” he said, underscoring the need for coordinated national action.

“We must organise at a national level, and move with speed and scale. The new AI missions will push the boundaries of what is possible.”

In advanced manufacturing, Singapore aims to build best-in-class factories capable of competing globally.

In connectivity and logistics, AI is expected to automate airport and seaport operations to move goods more efficiently and reinforce Singapore’s position as a global hub.

PM Wong said regulatory frameworks would be reviewed and sandboxes created to allow companies to test AI innovations safely and responsibly.

Within Government, research and development, regulatory oversight and investment promotion efforts will be better aligned so that agencies “act in concert and pull in the same direction”, he added.

Details of the AI mission for advanced manufacturing will be presented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry at its Committee of Supply 2026 debates. Plans for the other sectors will be announced later.

The new initiatives come amid rapid advances in AI, which have raised concerns globally about job displacement, misinformation and the ethical use of powerful technologies.

PM Wong acknowledged these concerns but said fear could not be Singapore’s response.

“Fear cannot be our response, because that will mean falling behind in a rapidly-moving world,” he said, adding that Singapore must act with clarity and resolve to serve its national interests.

He noted that AI could help Singapore overcome structural constraints, including limited natural resources, an ageing population and a tight labour market.

However, he stressed that Singapore’s strength lies not in building frontier AI models, but in deploying AI effectively and responsibly.

“Our advantage does not lie in building the latest frontier models. It lies in deploying AI effectively, responsibly, and at speed,” he said.

Singapore aims to position itself as a trusted hub where companies and researchers can develop, test and deploy impactful AI solutions more coherently than many larger countries.

Foundations for this strategy have already been laid, with over 60 companies, including Google and Microsoft, establishing AI Centres of Excellence in Singapore.

According to PM Wong, these centres, launched in conjunction with the Government, are helping to drive AI adoption in enterprises and have created a growing number of jobs in AI research, engineering and deployment.

The National AI Council will oversee the development and execution of AI missions across sectors.

Its members include Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong; Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung; Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo; and Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Other members are Minister for National Development and Deputy Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore Board of Directors Chee Hong Tat, and Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow.

The council will commission AI missions in high-growth sectors and work to unlock regulations and resources to accelerate the development, testing, deployment and scaling of AI solutions nationwide.