AI Trailblazers

AI Trailblazers runs as a public-private co-creation accelerator:

• Toolkit: participants get a no-cost GenAI workspace — Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform, pre-built solution templates, and training
• Two tracks: a public-sector track (agency use cases) and an enterprise track (local-company use cases), run in parallel
• Wave 1 (July 2023): target of prototyping 100 GenAI use cases within 100 days
• 2.0 (January 2024): expanded intake, continuing the use-case-first approach

It is led by MCI (now MDDI), DISG (the joint EDB-IMDA office) and SNDGO, with Google Cloud as the technology partner.

AI Trailblazers does no research — it is an adoption accelerator for generative AI, driving the cost of the "should we try GenAI" decision to near zero: free tooling, ready-made templates, a prototype in 100 days. It is also the flagship example of Singapore's "ride the hyperscalers" playbook: rather than building a national LLM platform, the government uses Vertex AI as public innovation infrastructure.

In the "seven transmission levers" framework, AI Trailblazers presses on two levers at once:

• Lever 5 (government self-use): the public-sector track directly produces GenAI use cases inside agencies
• Lever 4 (application): the enterprise track pulls local companies onto the GenAI adoption curve

A take: this is Singapore's "small government, big leverage" playbook in action — the state spends no platform money, trading use cases and organising power for Google Cloud's tooling and training, with the 100-day cadence keeping projects from stalling. Note: it is not an AI Singapore programme (a common mix-up); it is led by MDDI, DISG and SNDGO.