Workato’s Singapore AI Lab has completed its first year, having contributed to the development of Workato AIRO, a multi-agent system made generally available worldwide in July 2026. The company marked the anniversary at World of Workato 2026, outlining the lab’s involvement in product engineering, AI talent development and a new hiring partnership supporting persons with disabilities.
Established in 2025, the lab has brought Singapore-based engineers into Workato’s global product development activities, including collaboration with teams in the United States. At the same time, the facility has been recruiting engineers and researchers, involving them in customer-facing assignments.
Singapore engineers contribute to AIRO development
Workato credits the Singapore lab’s resources with helping accelerate experimentation and development of AIRO, with engineers working alongside the company’s US-based teams on the multi-agent system to contribute to technology intended for enterprise customers worldwide. Among the areas of AIRO development supported by the lab were contributions to the MCP Gateway, which allows enterprises to securely connect their own models and tools, and the Control Plane, which brings governance of an organisation’s AI operations into one place.
Beyond those components, the Singapore team contributed to testing the system’s reasoning under real customer conditions. Bhagat Nainani, Chief Product Officer at Workato, described this work as an example of how Singapore-based engineering could contribute to products developed for international markets.
“What Singapore AI engineers brought to our product innovation was a different kind of rigour, especially in how we tested the system’s reasoning under real customer conditions. This is early proof of the Lab’s premise that translational AI research done in Singapore can shape innovative products used by enterprises around the world. That is exactly the kind of contribution we need more of as the Singapore AI Lab enters its second year,” Nainani said.
Customer projects support AI talent development
Alongside product engineering, the lab has focused on developing the capabilities of its engineers and researchers through customer-facing assignments. Under this model, new engineers are paired with production-grade projects involving delivery deadlines and responsibility for outcomes, giving them experience applying AI expertise to business requirements.
Workato said these assignments have involved rapid iterations as engineers work through customer projects to deliver results. Ee Shan Sim, Head of Workato’s AI Lab Singapore, described the approach as a deliberate investment in developing the team’s capabilities through responsibility from the beginning of employment. This forms part of the company’s efforts to develop early-career AI talent, combining recruitment with opportunities for employees to build technical expertise while working on customer requirements.
Jinyong Low, Senior Vice President and Co-Head, Digital Industry Singapore, pointed to the importance of combining technical skills with opportunities to solve business problems. Citing the lab’s contributions to products used by enterprises globally as an example of how investment in local talent and product development can support Singapore’s AI capabilities, Low also expressed interest in working with more companies to create similar opportunities for Singaporeans to develop deeper AI expertise and contribute to products used internationally.
SG Enable partnership creates inclusive hiring opportunities
Workato is extending its workforce development efforts through a hiring partnership with SG Enable and Autism Resource Centre (Singapore), with plans to welcome two colleagues with autism into positions designed around their individual strengths and the skills required for the work. Both recruits will join a team responsible for the quality of data used to inform company strategy and decision-making. The initiative focuses on matching employees with suitable responsibilities, with roles designed to support their strengths and capabilities.
Edward Chew, Senior Director, Employment and Lifelong Learning at SG Enable, the National Agency for Disability, described the importance of designing jobs around people’s capabilities. “This partnership shows what is possible when companies design roles around strengths and skills required instead of expecting people to fit a predefined mould,” Chew said.
Chew also identified AI and automation as fields where meaningful employment opportunities may previously have appeared inaccessible to persons with disabilities. He pointed to Workato’s willingness and flexibility in creating suitable positions as an approach that could help other employers develop sustainable career opportunities.
