CYBERJAYA, July 28 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced that youths aged between 18 and 30 who complete training modules under the Rakyat Digital programme will receive free access to a leading artificial intelligence (AI) application for three months.
The programme, which is expected to benefit 100,000 youths, is part of the government’s effort to expand AI awareness and adoption among Malaysians.
The online training modules will be prepared by the Ministry of Digital, with participants required to complete the prescribed courses before receiving access to the AI software.
The announcement was made during the launch of AI Malaysia today, a government backed entity established to advance AI adoption and innovation. It was formed as an initiative by the Asean Business Advisory Council Malaysia.
Anwar said the move was aimed at democratising access to AI and ensuring the technology did not widen the gap between those who are exposed to it and those who are left behind.
“I do not want this programme to cause the gap to continue to the point that many people feel excluded and are not exposed,” he said at the launch of AI Malaysia.
He said communication and awareness efforts under the AI Untuk Rakyat programme must be strengthened as a priority to ensure more people understand and benefit from AI.
Anwar said the country’s AI ambition must extend beyond government agencies to benefit the rakyat as well.
He said achieving an AI nation would require commitment from the government, academia, industry and other stakeholders, with all parties working together to accelerate adoption of the technology.
Anwar said he had instructed the Ministry of Digital to finalise the training modules within two weeks, with the programme scheduled to begin on Aug 31.
The modules are expected to cover areas including AI Safety, Cyber SAFE, Agentic AI, Generative AI and Cloud Untuk Rakyat.
“We will give free AI software subscription to anyone who enrolls for the programme and they can have it free for three months,” he said.
Anwar also launched the National AI Technology Action Plan (2026 2030), which sets out Malaysia’s direction in strengthening AI capabilities and developing local innovation.
He said Malaysia must move beyond being a technology consumer by building local expertise, intellectual property, domestic AI platforms and home grown AI models tailored to regional needs and languages.
This, he said, would support the country’s ambition to develop “Made by Malaysia” capabilities and become a regional AI hub by 2030.