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Ministry of Digital Development and Information
Speeches

Opening Address by Acting Minister Jasmin Lau at SME Digitalisation Day 2026

31 July 2026

Distinguished guests and business owners.

  1. Good morning to all of you here today. I am happy to be here today at ITE's SME Digitalisation Day, and to see so many of you here, ready to explore how digital solutions can transform your businesses.

  2. All of us know that SMEs form the backbone of our nation’s economy. You make up 99% of our enterprises and employ over 70% of our workforce. We want and we need all of you to be doing well way into the future.  

  3. Today, I want to share some ways that we can build a practical pathway for SMEs to adopt AI with confidence.

  4. I understand the realities that all of you face as business owners. Unlike larger corporations, most of you operate without in-house IT or technology teams. Your margins are tight, your teams are small, and generally, you would tell the Minister for Manpower that manpower is very, very hard to find. So “transforming with AI” can feel like something that maybe you can only get to do after you are done with all of your more critical operational tasks.

  5. But choosing to set aside some time today to be here, to explore all the potential solutions is an important first step, and kudos to all of you! Successful transformation will begin with trying something new – try one solution, and build some confidence over time.

  6. Today’s showcase has over 40 ready-to-deploy technology solutions. There will be live demonstrations of AI agents, smart monitoring systems, and digital marketing tools. Many SMEs tell me that maybe the lowest barrier tool or solution to try is often digital marketing. It could potentially expand the channels for your businesses to grow, but many also feel that there is no harm, it doesn't really touch your operations too deeply, and so maybe that's one good way to start.

  7. And as you walk around today, it’s good if you can ask yourself, what's the one thing in your day, in your business that feels painful or that takes too long. Perhaps that will be the start of an impactful journey.

  8. Many of you might arrive at similar answers when you ask yourselves that question: What is the one thing that's most painful, and what's the one thing that takes too long? That is also an opportunity for all of you to learn from each other, tackle a challenge together.

  9. To support this mutual learning and collective exploration, I am happy to share that ITE and ASME will be launching the Group-Based Upgrading programme, they call it GBU, where a group of students and SMEs that do the upgrading together. This is a joint initiative supported by SWDA.

  10. GBU begins with a simple diagnostic. The programme targets problems specific to the industry sector that you are in. As you walk down this path of digital transformation, 39 other SMEs in the same cohort walking with you. Together, you will learn from one another, exchange practical experiences, and share perhaps some of the fears and challenges that you face in this journey.

  11. The programme also goes from discovery, diagnosis, to implementing actual solutions. Each business will have solutions tailored to your own operational needs at the end of the journey. Your workers will be trained and certified to operate these new solutions and systems.

  12. The government is committed to your companies’ growth, both in this journey as well as through other programmes. That is why we launched the National AI Impact Programme to enable 10,000 enterprises to integrate AI into their business processes. We also want to uplift 100,000 workers to be AI-bilingual. We have many programmes like our SMEs Go Digital, which is online and offers a simple one-stop for SMEs to first discover what are the possibilities out there that we can explore.

  13. At the end of the day, for us in the government, we always remember that our people, our Singaporean workers will remain at the centre of all that we do. Our workers must have the confidence to try and to use AI, and we must strengthen the networks where our people can navigate this change. That is how we can all move forward together.

  14. We can’t do this alone, so I am very glad we have Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs), organisations like ASME, who have been great partners with us in this journey. They help us understand your context and challenges better, and they become the bridge between many of your, business leaders, and the government, in sharing your feedback with myself and the rest of our government agencies, we can better support all you in your transformation journey.

  15. Today is an example of the community coming together, with ITE bringing training and expertise, TACs is bringing enterprise relationships and trust, and of course, all of you here bring your own determination and willingness to keep learning and adapting.

  16. Together, we can find ways for AI to benefit your businesses and your employees.

  17. Thank you for being here today. I wish you a productive and inspiring day ahead. Thank you.