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Business Times
01-08-2025
- Business
- Business Times
NUS, Google to create AI research and innovation centre, train more talent
[SINGAPORE] The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Google will collaborate to set up a joint research and innovation centre for artificial intelligence (AI) and develop AI practitioners. The centre will consolidate resources and technology to pursue experimental or applied AI projects across diverse domains, both parties said in a joint statement on Friday (Aug 1). The centre will, for example, manage a rapid prototyping sandbox, which is to be set up to create a controlled and flexible cloud-based environment, supported by Google Cloud's power-efficient Tensor Processing Units. This is essential for experimentation, testing and validation of the solutions developed under each of the domains, before they are deployed or scaled in real-world settings. Other domains in the centre include AI's intersections with education, public health and law, in light of the development of a Singapore law-specific large-language model on Google Cloud by NUS' Faculty of Law, the NUS AI Institute and NUS Computing. AI talent pipeline, new professorship The collaboration also includes an AI-focused talent development programme, which will benefit NUS students and researchers, and establishing a Google-supported professorship at NUS. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This programme will complement the joint centre, which is designed to provide training opportunities and certification pathways in Google Cloud AI platforms, and tools for NUS students and researchers to accelerate their applied AI research projects. The professorship aims to further promote faculty leadership in AI-related fields, foster deeper collaboration between academia and industry, and contribute to cultivating the next generation of talent in AI and digital innovation. NUS and Google have existing partnerships under an on-campus Google Developer Group to equip students with advanced software skills. Google Cloud is a pioneer industry partner of the NUS AI Institute, and a Google PhD Fellowship programme recognises exceptional work in computer science. Serene Sia, country director for Singapore and Malaysia at Google Cloud, said: 'Our new collaboration truly builds on those successes. It is a significant step forward in Google's commitment to bringing new capabilities for scientific discovery to Singapore. The initiative is poised to steer safe and responsible AI development and accelerate scientific progress that transforms public health, learning experiences and other vital fields.' NUS deputy president for research and technology Liu Bin echoed Sia's sentiment, and noted that the centre would create pathways for research translation and deployment.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MOGUL.sg launches MAIA - Singapore's first virtual property agent, built using Google Cloud AI, that puts the power of AI into the homebuyer's hands for free
The web app lets homebuyers save on buyer agent commissions while MAIA's automated features help find ideal homes faster and easier. The service is free for homebuyers. MAIA searches over 100,000 concurrent property listings across Singapore's major property portals, including and After users choose their favourite listings, MAIA then autonomously creates individual WhatsApp chats with each listed contact. Built using Google's Vertex AI platform and Gemini models, MAIA uses cutting-edge natural language processing to converse with sellers or their agents to schedule viewing appointments on behalf of the buyer. MAIA even understands Singlish and common emojis. Sellers or their agents pay a 0.2% referral fee only upon a successful sale, significantly lower than the typical 1% co-broking fees charged by buyer's agents. SINGAPORE, Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Homebuyers in Singapore face a tedious and time-consuming process when searching for a new home. They need to visit multiple property portals, manually track their favourite listings, make tons of calls to sellers' agents to fix viewing appointments and struggle with unresponsive listing agents. This inefficient system frustrates buyers, who end up employing their own agents, often adding to their costs through agent commissions. Traditionally, buyers pay around 1% commission to their agents for HDBs, who are now urging buyers to also pay the same 1% commission[1] for private property sales, when it was previously free for buyers. Currently, for private property sale transactions, buyer agents have to negotiate with seller agents for their share of the commission through co-broking since buyers do not pay commission to the agents representing them. Having an agent doesn't guarantee a smooth experience as they can run into unfriendly seller agents[2] who stonewall to avoid splitting their commission with the buyer's agent. MAIA revolutionises homebuying - from messy to easy Homegrown property search portal now has a game-changing solution for homebuyers. MAIA ( Artificial Intelligence Agent) is Singapore's first AI property agent, a web app designed to streamline the search for the perfect home and simplify appointment scheduling with seller agents. The web-based platform aggregates over 100,000 property listings from major Singaporean real estate portals, including and and lets users easily keep track of their favourites, saving hours from navigating multiple websites. Gerald Sim, CEO and Co-Founder of said, "MAIA is the homebuyer's best friend — a smarter way to search, schedule and secure your next home." "By combining Google's cutting-edge Gemini models with our deep knowledge of the property buying process, we aim to transform homebuying from messy to easy," he added. Serene Sia, Country Director, Malaysia and Singapore, Google Cloud, said, "Google Cloud is committed to providing the industry's most enterprise-ready AI platform to help organisations embrace the full potential of generative AI. By utilising Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform and the agentic capabilities of Google's Gemini models to build and launch MAIA, is re-imagining home buyers' property search experience across touchpoints. We are proud to collaborate with them on their innovation journey." MAIA also eliminates the hassle of manually coordinating viewings with multiple sellers or selling agents. Built using Google's Vertex AI platform and Gemini models, MAIA converses naturally with sellers or their agents via individual WhatsApp chats to propose and confirm viewing appointments on behalf of buyers. Once a viewing is confirmed, MAIA sends a calendar invite and connects buyers directly to the seller or their agents, transforming a traditionally tedious property search into a hassle-free experience. A win-win situation for buyers and sellers Seller's agents only need to pay a referral fee of 0.2% when completing a sale through MAIA instead of the usual 1% co-broking fee with a buyer agent, creating a win-win situation for homebuyers and seller's property agents. This helps to address the issue of agents trying to avoid sharing co-broking commissions[3]. MAIA delivers direct leads to property agents without additional listing fees - allowing them to focus on closing deals – and replies to messages immediately, reducing friction during the process of arranging for viewing appointments. PropertyLimBrothers, one of Singapore's leading real estate agencies, has partnered with to harness MAIA's innovative AI capabilities. They recognise the platform as a beneficial tool for buyers and sellers that improves transparency and saves time. By integrating MAIA into its operations, PropertyLimBrothers aims to support its agents with better tools and resources to drive sales leads and improve administrative efficiency. "MAIA is a homebuying revolution. Buyers enjoy a simpler, stress-free journey and connect directly with sellers or selling agents to save time on their viewing arrangements through MAIA AI's capabilities and chat functions. It's a win-win for everyone. MAIA also creates opportunities for PLB listing agents to build direct relationships with buyers, increasing chances of us building more value for them for their home buying journey," said Melvin Lim, CEO of PropertyLimBrothers. Gerald Sim said, "We're on the cusp of a revolution in property buying, much like the travel industry's evolution from phone bookings to travel agents and AI-powered aggregators. aims to be the ultimate homebuying aggregator like Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are to hotel bookings, and drive Singapore to the global forefront of this exciting transformation." Explore MAIA at and experience the future of homebuying. [1] [2] [3] About Founded in 2019, is a trailblazing real estate platform in Singapore, using geospatial technology, 3D maps, and AI to disrupt traditional property processes. It offers instant property valuations and mortgage calculations. simplifies the buying, renting, and selling process with virtual tours and interactive data, making real estate transactions faster, cost-effective, and more efficient. For more information about and its new AI-powered platform, please contact: Goh Wu Chong (On behalf of Account Manager, Gloo PRwuchong@ 8407 Chris Lau Head of Marketing, View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Sign in to access your portfolio
