Singapore’s internet users have taken to AI faster than most of the world, but when it comes to researching a brand before buying, search engines still come out on top. That’s according to the annual Digital 2027: Singapore report released on 5 November by We Are Social and Meltwater.
Key Takeaways
- 89.9% of Singapore internet users aged 16 and above used an AI tool in the past month, above the global average of 85.2%.
- ChatGPT is used by 48.7% of Singapore internet users monthly, compared with 34.7% worldwide, yet only 23.0% use AI as a main source for brand research.
- Singapore has 5.56 million social media user identities, equivalent to 94.0% of the population, with WhatsApp the most-used platform at 84.8%.
AI use outpaces the global average
Nearly nine in 10 Singapore internet users aged 16 and above, 89.9%, used an AI tool in the past month, ahead of the worldwide figure of 85.2%. ChatGPT remains the most widely used platform in Singapore, with 48.7% of internet users turning to it in the past month, compared with 34.7% globally. Google Gemini follows at 29.8%.
Among active AI users, finding information is the most common reason to use it, cited by 63.4%, followed by getting advice on problems (39.6%) and saving time or increasing efficiency (36.1%).
Comfort with AI lags behind use
Despite the high usage, only 34.6% of Singapore internet users say they feel comfortable using AI tools, though that still ranks Singapore ninth globally for AI comfort. Paid AI subscriptions remain a smaller slice of the market too, at 8.1%, below the global figure of 9.5%.
Trust in online content more broadly is also mixed. Nearly three in four online news consumers in Singapore, 73.4%, say they are concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet, the eighth-highest level among the markets in the report.
Search and social still lead brand research
AI’s role in purchase research remains limited. Only 23.0% of Singapore internet users use AI tools as a main source when researching brands, and 12.6% discover new brands through them. Search engines (51.0%), product and brand websites (37.4%) and social networks (34.9%) remain the most used sources for brand research.
“AI tools are part of digital life for most internet users in Singapore, but search engines are the top source when people research a brand. That makes it important for brands to understand how they show up across every channel, from search and social to AI answers, and to base those decisions on what audiences actually use each channel to search, research and discover,” said Mimrah Mahmood, APAC Vice President of Enterprise Sales, Meltwater.
Social media still central to online life
Social media remains where much of that connected life plays out. 94.0% of the Singapore population has an active social media user identity, totalling 5.56 million identities, and internet users aged 16 and above use an average of 7.3 platforms a month. WhatsApp is the most used platform at 84.8%, while Instagram is where active users spend the most time among the major apps, at 1 hour 45 minutes a day. Singapore ranks fourth in the report for LinkedIn use and joint sixth for Reddit.
“Singaporeans have embraced AI, but they haven’t handed it their trust. When people aren’t sure what’s real, they turn to voices they already believe. That’s where creators matter, and it’s why creativity rooted in culture now does more for a brand than reach alone,” said Arthur Altounian, We Are Social Singapore Managing Director.
The report paints a picture of a market where almost everyone is online and most people use both social media and AI, but where established channels still guide how people search and decide. The full Digital 2027: Singapore report is available on Meltwater’s website.
