Publicis Groupe APAC has announced the launch of a new AI Development Hub in Singapore to build and scale proprietary marketing technologies from Asia to the world.
With the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the initiative aligns with Singapore’s ambition to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a strategic advantage, as outlined in the Singapore Budget 2026 speech on 12th February 2026.
Publicis Groupe has spent several years investing to build the data and technology foundations required to integrate AI across the entire marketing value chain. This was further strengthened by the acquisition of the global data and identity solution Lotame in 2025, which together with Epsilon’s data footprint expanded the Groupe’s identity intelligence to almost 4 billion individuals (90% of consumers worldwide), enabling deeper, privacy compliant audience insights.
The AI Development Hub will build on this foundation by embedding AI into marketing and advertising infrastructure across data, identity, media and content. It will create a collaborative environment where engineers, strategists, creatives and product teams can develop and scale new capabilities across the Asia Pacific and globally.
Singapore as an AI Innovation Launchpad
AI adoption in the Asia Pacific is outpacing the global average. According to a joint 2026 survey by the Singapore Economic Development Board and McKinsey, 73% of companies in Southeast Asia are in the “piloting” or “scaling” stage of AI, compared with 57% globally.
Publicis Groupe APAC’s AI Development Hub will contribute to Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0, supporting the country’s ambition to become a trusted global node for AI development and deployment.
The hub will include a dedicated research and development centre in Singapore, creating new roles and developing a portfolio of AI-driven solutions across creative optimisation, content development, influencer marketing and media planning. AI-enabled workflows developed by the hub are projected to reduce manual campaign execution time by 20–30% improving speed, quality, and delivery capacity across regional teams.
Transforming Talent for the AI Era
The AI Development Hub will help to redefine talent in the marketing industry, bringing together engineers, data scientists, product designers, marketing specialists and innovators in a collaborative development environment.
Instead of reducing roles through automation, the programme is designed to create new future-ready capabilities with opportunities to attract, retain and develop talent within Singapore. The hub will also partner with Singapore’s Institutes of Higher Learning to develop a pipeline of emerging digital talent, offering internships and applied research opportunities in AI, data science and human-centred design.
Sapna Nemani, Chief Solutions Officer at Publicis Groupe APAC, said: “AI is reshaping the marketing industry, but real transformation only happens when technology, data and talent evolve together. The future of marketing will be built on intelligent identity, understanding audiences in deeper, privacy-safe ways and activating those insights across the entire ecosystem. Our focus is on making AI practical, secure and scalable for our teams and our clients.”
Amrita Randhawa, CEO, Publicis Groupe Singapore & Southeast Asia, said: “There is a real sense of pride and responsibility in building this in Singapore. We are not just adopting AI, we are shaping how it is used in a way that is trusted, responsible and grounded in strong fundamentals. Just as importantly, we are creating opportunities for talent here to step into new roles and build skills that will define the future of our industry.”
Junie Fo, Vice President and Head of Professional Services at the Singapore Economic Development Board, said: “Publicis Groupe APAC’s AI Development Hub supports Singapore’s ongoing efforts to build a vibrant hub for AI innovation and adoption. This initiative will allow Publicis Groupe to develop advanced AI capabilities across data analytics, identity management, media optimisation, and content creation to serve both Singapore-based and global enterprises. We are excited about the next-generation marketing solutions the hub will create, alongside the pipeline of AI-ready talent it will build, strengthening Singapore’s position as a trusted base for the professional services sector.
