KUCHING: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has requested that the Digital Ministry establish a team of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural intelligence (NI) experts to strengthen its child advocacy programme, which is implemented in schools nationwide.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (pic) said the request was submitted to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo during a Cabinet meeting on Friday, in view of the urgent need to educate students on the differences between AI technology and the NI they possess as humans.
“We have a child advocacy programme in schools, but it still lacks content on AI and NI. Many children participate in online games and are heavily influenced by the AI elements embedded in these games.
“We want them to understand that AI is artificial, while they themselves possess NI. So, we need a team in the country that can support us in this effort,” she said at a press conference after officiating the Citra Akademik Untuk Komuniti dan Alam programme in Kampung Salak, Santubong, yesterday.
Nancy said the ministry conducts advocacy programmes in at least 300 schools each year, but the number often exceeds the target due to the programme’s expansion to Children’s Activity Centres, Bernama reported.
“Although our annual target is 300 schools, we often surpass that number because we also reach out to centres and local communities. As of Oct 3, a total of 327 schools had participated in the programme,” she said.
She added that cooperation from the Education Ministry, the police, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and local community networks is crucial to ensuring the programme’s effectiveness.
Commenting on TikTok’s digital safety initiative, the #ThinkTwice Parental Advisory campaign, Nancy said the ministry endorses efforts that help strengthen the digital well-being of families.
The campaign, launched on Friday, aims to help parents monitor teenagers’ digital safety through collaboration involving TikTok, the Content Forum and MCMC.
It forms part of the #ThinkTwice digital literacy initiative, which adopts an evidence-based and community-driven approach.
Nancy said the ministry had also requested that the police, through its D11 Division (Sexual, Women and Child Investigation), strengthen educational materials on statutory rape awareness to ensure that children clearly understand the legal implications.
“Every child has the right to know. We do not want them experimenting without understanding the consequences of engaging in sexual activity,” she said.
