IN some classrooms, artificial intelligence (AI) education is being delivered through human-led teaching and learning practices in an effort to develop responsible users.
At Taylor’s University, this approach is deliberate; vice-chancellor and president Prof Barry Winn says universities’ responsibilities go beyond mere compliance.
“We must equip students to navigate an AI-enabled world with integrity, critical thinking and sound judgment.
“At Taylor’s, we have adopted a human-led, AI-enabled approach across teaching, learning, research and institutional practice,” says Winn.
To that end, he adds, the university integrates AI intentionally into learning, while ensuring students understand its capabilities, recognise its limitations, and remain accountable for the work they produce.
“Ultimately, effective AI governance is not only about setting rules. It is about developing people who can use AI responsibly.”
Outside the classroom, Winn sees movement at the policy level as equally encouraging. He points to the Digital Ministry’s public consultations on the proposed Artificial Intelligence Governance Bill.
“This is an important step towards building a framework that supports innovation while promoting responsible and trustworthy AI.”
Still, he cautions that regulation alone is not enough – while global AI models offer valuable capabilities, long-term competitiveness will depend on developing expertise and applications relevant to the local context.
“Universities play an important role in this ecosystem. Beyond preparing graduates for the workforce, we contribute through research, industry collaboration and the development of future talent that can shape AI for Malaysia’s needs.
“Innovation and responsibility should go hand in hand. By combining technological capability with human insight, Malaysia can build AI that is not only globally competitive, but also trusted, relevant and beneficial to society.”
Meanwhile, the emphasis on responsibility should not stop at academia. United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Unitar) prosperity division director Mihoko Kumamoto says governing AI should be a collaborative effort.
She points to Unitar’s Pathway to Prosperity course as a working model, one that encourages people to use AI responsibly and effectively.
The course is a free hybrid training programme jointly organised with Google. It covers AI and data centre management, in collaboration with local partners, Selangor Human Resource Development Centre and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation.
“Rather than a rigid, top-down system, we believe in ‘collaborative governance’.
“Our programme itself is a blueprint for this. Such a coalition can act as a dynamic steering committee for the nation, setting ethical guidelines and promoting standards.
“It’s less about blocking and more about guiding development in the right direction.”
At the same time, Kumamoto warns that AI can undermine critical thinking if learning becomes passive, reinforcing the need for a human-centred approach.
“In other words, AI should be used to sharpen people’s critical thinking. We support this by taking participants from theory to practice over 12 weeks.
“The results speak for themselves: nearly 95% of our first two cohorts found the training helpful, and more than 85% agree the skills are critical for their career success.
“They are learning to evaluate, adapt and apply AI tools to solve real-world challenges, which is the essence of critical thinking.”
