AI is already shaping Singapore’s cityscape and infrastructure, with 40 percent of engineers, architects, and urban planners relying on it daily. This places Singapore’s built environment professionals among the global leaders in AI adoption, according to a new international survey.
The research, commissioned by global sustainable development consultancy Arup, reveals that professionals in the environment sector are leveraging advanced AI tools that go far beyond chatbots and large language models like ChatGPT. In Singapore, one-third of users are already employing AI for large-scale simulations and using evolutionary algorithms or science-based AI to tackle complex project work.
Embracing AI: Reshaping Today’s Cities and Built Environment examines the attitudes towards and adoption of AI by those shaping our cities across 10 countries – Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Singapore, the UK and the US. The survey asked engineers, architects, city planners, and digital leaders in the built environment how they are using AI. In Singapore, the top three reported uses are for design work, project management, and the development and management of digital twins.
The survey revealed that Singapore’s built environment professionals have overwhelmingly positive attitudes towards AI, with 70 percent viewing it as an opportunity – significantly above the global average of 60 percent. Only 7 percent perceive it as a risk to jobs. Arup commissioned the research to show how AI is already changing the way cities and infrastructure are designed. The firm is calling for increased focus on developing AI tools that can help decarbonise the sector and restore nature, while delivering prosperity and resilient infrastructure for a growing global population. In 2024, there was $252 billion of corporate investment in AI.
Arup AI experts argue if just 10 percent of this investment was used to design AI for major challenges in the built environment, it could help radically transform the sector and improve people’s lives. Many respondents in Singapore believe AI can play a critical role in delivering projects on time and within budget. They also see its potential in addressing climate and nature crises by enabling solutions such as waste reduction, the development of sustainable materials, and the optimisation of renewable energy.
The vast majority of built environment professionals in Singapore (95 percent) believe it is important to have ethical guidelines for AI in the built environment. More than half (51 percent) also have apprehension about the dominance of global tech companies in AI development. Arup is already using AI-powered tools to augment the expertise of technical experts. Its AI-powered tools model nature-based solutions that protect people from heatwaves and floods, including in Singapore. AI is also helping extend the life of critical infrastructure like offshore wind turbines and bridges for decades, significantly reducing cost and carbon emissions.
Will Cavendish, Arup’s Global Head of Digital Services says: “The world can learn from Singapore, and I’m not surprised it ranks so highly for AI adoption. We need to rapidly embrace new technologies to help us address the challenges the city is facing, such as designing low carbon housing and infrastructure for a rising population, renovating the urban assets that Singapore already has, and developing greater resilience to increasing heat and sea level rise. That means we need more focus on AI development that can help us meet these challenges. To do this, we need our industry to focus much more on developing these types of AI systems.”
