National Energy Centre's Halimah said the country in general is making progress in terms of AI adoption.
CYBERJAYA: In order to ensure the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across industries, Malaysia needs to focus on strategies like education and talent development, as well as public-private partnerships (PPPs), to name a few.
National Energy Centre advisor Datuk Dr Halimah Badioze Zaman said other strategies include establishing a regulatory framework and ethics, along with research and development and infrastructure investment.
“PPP is very important as it can catalyse the deployment of AI by bringing together government resources and private sector innovation.
“For instance, the government and private sector must collaborate on upskilling and reskilling initiatives to develop a future-ready workforce,” Halimah said in her speech here at Experian Malaysia’s GenAI Tech Series 2.0 event yesterday.
A main part of PPPs, according to Halimah, would be financing mechanisms like matching grants, alongside training.
She said the country must focus on leveraging generative AI (Gen AI) not only for economic growth but also for societal impact such as personalised education solutions and AI-driven innovations in precision agriculture.
Halimah said the country in general is making progress in terms of AI adoption.
However, on a more granular level, looking at individual businesses especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), there is still “a long way to go”.
“Malaysia is ranked second in Asean and 23rd in the world in terms of AI readiness.
“According to the Global AI Readiness Index, we rank in the middle tier among other countries.
“So, we are not bad, but there is still room for improvement.”
Halimah said while large corporations generally have a clear direction regarding AI, smaller businesses need a lot of help.
“This is where upskilling and reskilling would really be needed.
“There is also a need for special professional certification programmes tailored to specific areas of Gen AI that are suitable for these companies, as each business would require different aspects of Gen AI,” she told StarBiz on the sidelines of the event.
Additionally, Halimah emphasised that MSMEs and startups should focus on digitalisation first before going on to AI and, subsequently, Gen AI.
“This ability to create new content is the beautiful thing about Gen AI, as it allows companies to have better insights and make better decisions.”
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a slew of AI-related incentives in Budget 2025, including RM10mil allocated to the National Artificial Intelligence Office and an increase in funding for AI-related education at research universities from RM20mil previously to RM50mil.
Halimah said Malaysia should not compare itself to the United States or Europe, as the country is moving in the right direction at a pace that it can afford.
“But the government cannot do this alone; it must be done together with other companies.”
