Singapore Airlines has explored about 400 AI use cases and has around 100 in production. Its technology chief explains the framework that decides what ships, why staff build their own tools, and why the CEO pushes harder than IT does. George Wang runs technology at Singapore Airlines, including its AI and digital transformation strategy. In our second Soar.AI podcast episode, he explains how an airline with a fast-follower reputation on technology became, in April 2025, the first major carrier to formalise a collaboration with OpenAI. Multiple things led up to this moment: a digital innovation blueprint from 2018, an AI blueprint that went to the board in July 2023, a three-way test of impact, risk and ease of implementation, and a rule that exploration is not a phase in itself but a route to production. As a result of these efforts, customer satisfaction with the airline's chatbot almost doubled after the move to generative AI. The flight recommender saves customers around 30 minutes on a search for the cheapest fare or the fewest miles across flexible dates. Jarvis, the airline's internal AI agent, lets business staff build and deploy their own tools without involving IT, under access controls IT still sets. He also explains where AI has fallen short, why the breakthroughs so far are in language rather than physical intelligence, and why he expects the technology itself to become a commodity. What you will hear Why an airline that follows on technology and leads on service moved early on AI, and what Singapore's research agencies, universities and regulator had to do with itThe three-dimension framework, impact, risk and ease of doing, that sorts 400 candidate use cases into three pillars: customer, operations and staffHow the flight recommender and the generative chatbot were judged on customer experience first, with productivity as a side benefitThe multi-partner, multi-model approach: what OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce each do, and why Singapore Airlines acts as alpha customer for products other airlines will later buyJarvis: how staff build their own AI tools inside it, how IT keeps control without getting in the way, and why classroom training is forgotten within a weekThe two hackathons of 2023, one for IT and one for business staff, and the use cases engineers and overflight planners brought to themWhy four years is too long a horizon for AI, and what the chairman asked when the innovation budget came up for approval Notable quotes "Access to all this technology itself is not a competitive advantage." "Training is the starting point, but not the end solution." "Technology should be invisible." About the guest George Wang is Senior Vice President Information Technology at Singapore Airlines, responsible for the airline's IT and digital transformation strategy, including its work in AI and emerging technologies. He took the airline's AI blueprint to its board in July 2023 and is on record for its collaborations with OpenAI and Salesforce. [LinkedIn] About the hosts Shashank Nigam is CEO of SimpliFlying, a leading aviation strategy firm with more than 18 years of experience working with 120+ organisations. Soar.AI is our new practice covering how artificial intelligence is being built and deployed across the sector. Peter Bellew is Founder of Dooks Capital, former CEO of Malaysia Airlines and former Chief Operating Officer of Ryanair and Riyadh Air. Dooks Capital backs early-stage technical founders building AI for airline, airport, and ground operations intelligence. About the Soar.AI podcast Soar.AI is the world's first podcast on artificial intelligence in aviation. SimpliFlying brings you in-depth and unfiltered conversations with aviation leaders on how the industry is evaluating, implementing and scaling AI in the real world. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes of Soar.AI drop every fortnight. Links Soar.AI podcast: https://simpliflying.com/ai/podcastSoar.AI Advisory: https://simpliflying.com/aiSingapore Airlines and OpenAI, 25 April 2025: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/corporate/newsroom/press-release/Singapore Airlines and Salesforce, 12 March 2025: https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/corporate/newsroom/press-release/
