Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is AISAY?
AISAY is the Singapore Government’s AI-powered document analysis platform, built by GovTech. It helps public officers and agencies extract, analyse, and verify information from documents. It is available as a no-code web portal and as production-grade APIs.
Who can use AISAY?
Anyone with a .gov.sg or .edu.sg email address can use the AISAY Web Portal immediately — no registration or approval needed. For API access, submit a request at https://go.gov.sg/aisaykey.
What document types can AISAY process?
AISAY can process PDF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF files. The Flagship model also supports XLSX, DOCX, and PPTX. Documents can be digitally created, scanned, or photographed, and can contain typed or handwritten content, structured tables, or unstructured text.
What classification of documents can I use with AISAY?
Currently, AISAY supports documents classified up to Restricted, Sensitive Normal. Support for Confidential (Cloud-Eligible) is planned for 2027.
Is AISAY built by a vendor?
No. AISAY is built, owned, and run in-house by a GovTech team. The application fully belongs to GovTech and is hosted on GCC (Government Commercial Cloud). While AISAY calls third-party AI models for processing, the application itself is not outsourced or subcontracted.
Security and Compliance
What happens to my documents after I upload them?
AISAY does not store or retain your files, or the output from your analysis. Once processing is complete, your documents are immediately removed. Not even the AISAY team can see the contents of your documents.
Does the AI model provider store my data?
AISAY has contracts with AI model providers (Microsoft, Google, Anthropic) requiring them not to store data beyond 24 hours, which is the industry norm. The data is only stored temporarily to run the processing job and is never used for training models.
Is AISAY compliant with government regulations?
Yes. AISAY undergoes regular security testing and is compliant with:
- IM8 regulations
- The Government’s circular on the use of Generative AI
- All Generative AI models used are rigorously evaluated by the GovTech team
Can I upload from my GSIB or COMET device?
Yes. Files from your GSIB or COMET devices can be directly uploaded to the AISAY web portal, ensuring you remain in a secure environment.
Models and Accuracy
What is the difference between Flagship and Local models?
| Feature | Flagship | Local |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Overseas | Singapore |
| Best for | Text-heavy documents | Image-heavy / visual documents |
| Speed | Slightly slower | Slightly faster |
| Max pages (KIE) | 150 | 50 |
Try both on your use case to see which performs better.
How accurate is AISAY?
Models tested by the team perform well on a benchmark set of Singapore Government data. However, like all AI systems, they may still occasionally make mistakes or include inaccurate information. For critical decisions, always keep a human in the loop.
Should I let the AI make final decisions?
No. For complex analysis and verification, use AISAY together with a human “in the loop.” For example, don’t ask the AI to make a one-word SHORTLIST or SKIP decision on a candidate. Instead, ask it to summarise and analyse a resume against multiple dimensions, then make the judgement call yourself.
Technical
What is the difference between AISAY and normal OCR?
AISAY combines both OCR and LLM (Large Language Model) capabilities. The OCR step extracts text from each page reliably, while the LLM intelligently identifies which text is relevant to your query.
A traditional OCR tool relies on keyword matching — it searches for exact text like “Groom’s Name.” If a document uses a different label (e.g., “Husband”), the OCR tool returns nothing. AISAY understands context and can find the correct value regardless of the exact wording used.
Why should my agency use AISAY instead of off-the-shelf AI document readers?
Data Security: Most commercial tools store or log user data. AISAY does not store files or output at any time. AI model providers are contractually bound to not retain data beyond 24 hours.
Compliance: AISAY handles IM8 compliance, Government AI risk management, and scaling (supporting hundreds of concurrent connections). If better or cheaper models emerge, the AISAY team can swap models on demand across providers.
Reliability: The AI Programme provides assured availability, lower latency, and a direct line to the providers’ engineers. AISAY also takes a multi-provider approach (Microsoft, Google, Anthropic) for redundancy.
Performance: AISAY’s custom pipeline and blend of OCR + LLM tools outperforms most off-the-shelf solutions. All paid projects include complimentary data scientist support and L1 helpdesk support at no extra cost.
What is JSON schema validation?
As of February 2026, the AISAY APIs enforce JSON schema validation on the vlm_prompt parameter. This means your extraction schema must be a valid JSON object with properly defined types, descriptions, and structure. See the Data Extraction (KIE) guide for schema examples.
Support
How do I get help?
Email gdp_platform_aisay@tech.gov.sg with a description of your issue, your expected output, and sample files if possible.
Is there free engineering support?
Yes. Teams processing more than 5,000 pages per month are eligible for complimentary AI engineering support, including data exploration, prompt crafting, model fine-tuning, training, and L1/L2 support. Email the team to apply.
Where can I learn more?
- Helper tools: https://tools.getaisay.com
- Tutorial videos and open clinics: https://linktr.ee/aisay
- AI Platform (for developers): https://platform.ai.gov.sg
