What the world needs now

Basic needs first: Big Tech and AI certainly could aid development but before that, many rural areas need to ensure basic infrastructure is in place first. — AFP

WILL artificial intelligence (AI) rule the world? Will algorithm biases shape our perceptions? Is Big Tech the evil empire?

This week I was in Gummers-bach near Cologne in Germany, at the International Academy of Leadership for a 12-day workshop on “Safeguarding Freedom in the Digital World”. The workshop was organised by the Fried-rich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

It was heavy subject matter as we were discussing the future. Julia, a Malaysian back in Kuala Lumpur, asked me to summarise what I learnt during my first week at Gummersbach.

“What would your answer be? And ‘the art of chocolate’, is not the right answer,” she said, referring to my latest passion (or should I say, obsession).

I replied that AI is indeed big. “The participants think it is the next big thing after the Internet,” I said.

“The facilitator used ChatGPT 4.0. He said it is very powerful, especially the paid subscription.”

For me, I’m still old school. I prefer Google Search to ChatGPT.

Some of the participants predicted that AI would be the next big thing. For some, it is.

I replied that how could it be the big thing now, though? I argued that in remote areas that I have visited, like some corners of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and in my home state of Sabah, accessing the Internet is prohibitively slow. In rural Sabah, they call it Internet siput, ie the snail Internet, referring to the speed.

“Practically, there’s no AI in remote South-East Asia. In my hometown people’s worry is not that AI-driven killer drones can kill without conscience but basic infrastructure, like a regular, clean water supply,” I said while wearing a Sabah Way Forward T-shirt with the tagline “The Future Is Sabah”.

Forget about AI. We have a digital divide in Malaysia.

A Sabahan who had been a Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker, once told me what the difference is between Peninsular Malaysia MPs – especially those from west coast states like Selangor and Johor – and those from the Borneo part of Malaysia.

“The semenanjung MPs talk about Internet speed and better playgrounds while we MPs from Sabah and Sarawak beg for the basics – roads, water, electricity. Forget about the Internet, that’s a luxury for us,” he told me a few years ago.

At a swanky restaurant in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, the MP and I lamented the socioeconomic conditions of Sabah, complaining how our state’s resources go to Putrajaya. Yes, it was quite ironic. A few months later, I was in his kawasan (constituency) on the east coast of Sabah, sweating in a kedai kopi without airconditioning while eating udang galah, which was very affordable compared with KL prices.

While listening to talks by experts on the future in Germany, I was also reading discussions in my Sabah chat groups – and it was sadly obvious that Sabah is still in the past.

It will soon be 61 years old to the day that Sabah, Sarawak, Malaya, and Singapore formed the Federation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. And yet, my Sabah political chat groups are still discussing why we are stuck in the past.

The Sabah Way Forward mission statement summarises it: “Sabah is one of the richest states in Malaysia and yet it is also the poorest. The paradox is mind-boggling. We want to start a conversation on how Sabahans can tap into our resources and talent to move forward towards a prosperous Sabah where basic infrastructure and high-speed Internet connection are a given.”

Will AI rule the world?

In my world of writing political columns, no. ChatGPT still can’t write a decent Malaysian political analysis. Yes, it can summarise it. But it doesn’t have inside information on whether Gabun-gan Rakyat Sabah will implode or explode.

But if ChatGPT can listen to all the plots via smartphone while the politicians are plotting, it could give me a run for my money.

And AI is listening. The other day, I chatted over text with Julia on whether Michael Kors handbags are luxury items or not, and my Facebook feed suddenly had Michael Kors advertisements. Meta, after all, owns both Facebook and WhatsApp, and it has incorporated AI in both, so yes, AI is listening hard.

As Tears for Fears sang, “Everybody wants to rule the world”.

But feudalism still exists in rural and remote parts of Malaysia and Asia. The big politicians are feudal lords, while the populace is represented by voters who are only relevant during elections.