How the Malaysian government's chatbot Aifa should be deployed – recommendations from the CIJ

THE Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) notes the recent launch of the fact-checking chatbot named Artificial Intelligence Fact-Check Assistant (Aifa) to verify “fake news and misinformation” on chat app WhatsApp. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil stated that it is part of the Malaysian government’s initiative to curb misinformation and promote digital literacy among citizens.

We find this a positive effort to curb the proliferation and spread of disinformation, especially on private messaging platforms. It is also commendable that the chatbot can address the diversity of various languages in Malaysia –English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil (missing the ethnic languages in Sabah and Sarawak).