How the Home Team AI Suite is powering a smarter public service

• The Home Team AI Suite was launched by HTX’s xDigital to boost AI adoption across Home Team Departments
• The secure, AI-powered tools streamline workflows, spur engagement and handle sensitive data efficiently
• Paperwork uses AI-assisted editing and hybrid search to help officers draft and validate procurement documents, reducing errors and accelerating approval
• Teammate is a secure chatbot that helps officers with day-to-day administrative tasks like writing emails and summarising documents
• Buzzer gamifies training and onboarding with QR-code missions, quizzes, polls, AI-assisted content creation and live leaderboards
  

Enhanced efficiency is the holy grail of generative AI (GenAI) products. Yet, Home Team officers may struggle to effectively utilise such tools for work due to necessary data security guardrails which can crimp efficiency and stymie innovation.

Perhaps no process better encapsulates this albatross than procurement, which typically unfolds over months and across multiple rounds of manual document drafting, clarifications and revisions.

Lim Guoxing, Senior Assistant Director, iLMS Office, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is well acquainted with the bugbears of officers navigating iLMS, the enterprise system used to manage procurement and contracts. He shared that users unfamiliar with the system may select incorrect material and service numbers, leading to errors in payments, records and compliance.

“Our initial approach of developing detailed reference guides was less effective than anticipated, as many users do not regularly consult such material,” explained Guoxing.

Now, this problem can be attenuated by Paperwork, an app with AI-powered features such as a hybrid search tool that integrates MHA business rules with historical contract data. This enables officers to swiftly shortlist appropriate material and service numbers by referencing past procurement documents.

Another key feature is the AOR (Approval of Requirement) validator, which boasts an in-line editor that flags logical inconsistencies, inaccurate terminology and missing mandatory information early in the process. Recommendation notes suggest additional details for users to furnish.

Paperwork is among the web applications in the Home Team AI Suite developed by xDigital, which worked closely with officers across Home Team Departments (HTDs). The tools are built to handle sensitive data, enabling officers to work more efficiently without compromising security.

Roshan Kumar, Head (Product Management), AI Products, xDigital, shared that Paperwork runs on NGINE (Next Generation Infrastructure), HTX’s secure AI infrastructure.

“NGINE gives us the flexibility to switch AI models without having to redesign the system. That means we can adapt quickly as models evolve, while still operating within a secure environment,” explained Roshan.

Already, Paperwork has demonstrated measurable impact. During beta testing, document processing time was reduced by up to 30% reduction. Accuracy wasn’t shabby either – standing at a very respectable 80%.

“Tools like Paperwork represent a shift from manual, error-prone processes toward data-driven, intelligent solutions – freeing officers to focus on higher-value work and better decision-making,” said Guoxing.

Moving forward, Paperwork’s applications will be expanded to include general document validation.

A chatbot that engenders trust

Data security concerns also prevent officers from using commercial chatbots on their work devices to parse lengthy documents. Benjamin Pang, Manager, Tech Innovation Branch, Ops-Tech Division, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA), is one such individual who knows this all too well.

“We spent a lot of time manually cross-checking data, re-typing summaries and juggling multiple platforms to keep our work secure, creating bottlenecks that hindered collaboration,” said Benjamin, whose daily tasks include drafting briefings and extracting key insights from incident reports.

Now, thanks to the Teammate chatbot, he can save up to three hours a day previously spent on those labour-intensive tasks. The chatbot was built on an open-source Large Language Model (LLM) that allows xDigital to customise the system to Home Team needs. It is also hosted on HTX’s NGINE to ensure secure processing of data and reliable performance at scale.

“NGINE is an AI-optimised operating infrastructure with powerful computer chips, or GPUs, which allow the chatbot to run faster and more efficiently. NGINE’s built-in safety features will also help prevent inappropriate outputs.” said Cyrus Siu, Head (Product Management), AI Products, xDigital.

Buoyed by his efficiency gains, Benjamin envisions Teammate playing a larger role in his work, such as assisting in compliance checks. But that’s not all he can look forward to. The product team at xDigital is planning to evolve Teammate into an agentic AI platform that allows officers to interact with multiple enterprise systems, which means they can perform various tasks without switching platforms, saving time and potentially reducing errors. 

An AI crowd-pleaser

Besides automating routine tasks, AI is also being harnessed to drive engagement. A longstanding challenge for Nicole Lee, Senior Manager, Training & Learning, Human Resource, HTX, is staving off fatigue among new joiners during staff induction programmes.

“The entire process was tedious and time-consuming, and we consistently struggled to maintain energy and engagement throughout,” shared Nicole.

Dull training sessions may soon be a thing of the past with Buzzer, an app offering a slew of interactive activities such as quizzes and polls. To create this app, Tan Jun Kiat, Engineer (Product Management) AI Products, xDigital, and his team gathered feedback at events and refined features based on the input of participants.

Those trial runs helped shape features including Quest, which gamifies onboarding with QR-code check-ins, puzzles and MCQs, alongside AI-assisted slide generation.

Nicole noted that gamification has stoked participants’ competitive spirit, while streamlined content creation features have eased her role as moderator.

“The platform's seamless integration of multiple functions means I can focus on connecting with people and enjoying the experience, rather than worrying about technical logistics.”

As they gear up for Buzzer’s implementation at marquee events such as the upcoming Milipol TechX Summit (MTX) 2026, xDigital is working on allowing multiple users to co-create engagements on the platform.

While xDigital’s new suite of tools paves the way for a more productive Home Team, its product managers stressed that keen human judgement remains the backbone of an AI-forward organisation.

Nicole is of the same persuasion: “True digital transformation enhances human connection rather than replaces it, empowering us to focus on what matters most: the people we serve.”