Most firms eye AI agents but 38% still lack network readiness: Cisco

AI agent adoption was reinforced after Budget 2026's $1b research push.

Most organisations in Singapore plan to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) agents in the next year, but 38% say their current networks are not equipped to handle the complexity or data volume required, according to Cisco.

Cisco said Budget 2026 reinforces Singapore’s long-term digital competitiveness, highlighting the newly announced National AI Missions and Champions of AI programme alongside a $1b investment in public AI research over five years.

Bee Kheng Tay, president of Cisco ASEAN, described the gap between AI ambitions and infrastructure readiness as “AI infrastructure debt.” She added that “AI is only as powerful as the infrastructure that supports it.”

James Greenwood, AVP, Solution Engineering at Tanium, said responsible and rapid AI adoption depends on digital foundations secure enough to support modernised infrastructure at scale.

“Singapore’s continued investment in mitigating AI risks is important. However, as the nation modernises its digital infrastructure to support emerging technologies, including domains like quantum and space, the exposure of endpoints, which remain a primary entry point for cyberattacks, will continue to expand beyond traditional laptops and servers,” Greenwood said.

He added that “the goal shouldn’t be to simply buy more security tools.” Greenwood said organisations should strengthen endpoint management by maintaining an up-to-date view of assets, keeping systems securely configured, identifying vulnerabilities early and patching quickly at scale.

Tay also welcomed Budget 2026 measures to build an AI-ready workforce, including AI literacy courses with Institutes of Higher Learning and a redesigned SkillsFuture website, noting that the “true value of AI will be realised not by technology alone, but by equipping people to work alongside it.”