CYBERJAYA, July 30 – Malaysia’s efforts to build an AI ecosystem must also take into account the threats surrounding the technology, said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
Responding to questions on the use of AI, including deepfakes and misinformation, he said the government recognised the threats surrounding the technology while wanting to build an ecosystem that could empower Malaysians.
“Whilst we want to build an AI ecosystem that is able to empower Malaysians, we also recognise the threats that surround it.
“It is very, very important for us, again, to create awareness of what kind of threats exist and to make sure that we build an ecosystem that is secure,” he told reporters after the launch of AI Malaysia here on Tuesday, July 28.
He said this also came down to building trust, adding that the Ministry of Digital was drafting a strategy on trust which it hoped to launch by the end of this year.
Gobind said there was also a need to bring together the whole of the country to build an ecosystem that was ready for AI, moving towards a whole of nation approach instead of whole of government.
“We agree that we need to look at how we can bring together the whole of the country in an initiative to build an ecosystem or a country that is ready for AI moving forward,” he said.
He said this would involve academia, the private sector and other sectors, while also looking at local capacity, startups, data centres and computing power.
On the proposed AI Act, Gobind said it was being drafted following consultations with various stakeholders over the past 18 months, with the ministry to go back to industry before holding a press conference on it.
He said it was “a very important document” and the ministry hoped to get it done as soon as possible.