KUALA LUMPUR: Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be used as a psychological warfare tool to win over voters in the next general election, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said that it is imperative that the party keeps pace with the latest technology to ensure its relevance, particularly among the youth.
"I wish to reiterate the call I made two years ago that Umno Youth and Puteri must be the party's spokesperson in cyberspace through the creation of content and capable influencers.
"In your hands, lay the hope of changing the viewpoint of the youth towards the party and that they return to the fold," he said in his policy address at the opening of the Umno general assembly on Friday (Aug 23).
Ahmad Zahid also pointed out that the nation is currently experiencing "digital politics" owing to the widespread use of mobile phones by the masses.
"Whether you realise it or not, we are now in the era of digital politics or more accurately speaking, handphone politics.
"Armed with only a handphone, a person can be an ‘expert’ in various fields," he said.
He noted that changes in technology had also influenced the rakyat's perception on certain issues.
He said this came in the form of 3S where the handphone was initially used by many to "script and screen".
"We then moved to the era of ‘scrolling’ which exposed us to websites, portals and blogs.
"We are currently in the third S, the era of ‘swipe’ involving short video clips on TikTok," he added.
He said that Umno needs to adapt to the rapid changes in technology to win the ongoing perception war in cyberspace.
