The Design AI and Tech Awards (Daita), a new initiative recognizing innovation in artificial intelligence and design, was launched in October 2024, with its first ceremony scheduled for May 2025. The awards, jointly organized by BT and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), aim to highlight startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and large corporations that leverage design thinking alongside AI to address practical business challenges.
Participants are evaluated in three categories: product design, system design, and spatial design. The inaugural winners include MetaOptics Technologies, LionsBot, and Sengkang General Hospital, reflecting the awards’ broad scope across different industries and applications.
Professor Tai Lee Siang, deputy president and chief innovation and enterprise officer at SUTD, emphasized the transformative impact of AI on design and innovation. He noted that the rapid development of AI technology has fundamentally altered the design landscape, affecting all disciplines involved. According to Professor Tai, the integration of AI with design brings newfound efficiencies by accelerating processes and enabling better coordination among diverse fields such as aesthetics, material science, and craftsmanship.
“The combination of design and AI is likely to bring benefits to the future economy,” Professor Tai said, highlighting the relevance of the Daita initiative. He described the partnership between BT and SUTD as timely, framing the awards as a means to cultivate greater appreciation of this emerging design paradigm.
Professor Tai also expressed optimism about the future, observing a new generation of designers who adeptly blend traditional design skills with advanced technology and AI tools. He expressed hope that Singapore will continue to develop as a hub for innovation, with design and AI becoming integral components of economic transformation and business strategy.
By bringing together diverse disciplines and enabling deeper insights through data and analytics, AI is seen as a powerful catalyst for innovation, accelerating the creation of value across industries. The organizers of Daita see the awards as a way to encourage these interdisciplinary approaches, providing innovators with a competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.