PETALING JAYA: The Rakyat Digital platform will soon start offering over 16,000 Coursera courses and certifications to Malaysians for free within a three-month window, along with an AI (artificial intelligence) Builders Hub, says Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
Gobind says that this change will expand the platform, which was previously centred around developing digital literacy skills, into a wider ecosystem for digital learning that covers areas such as AI and digital learning as a whole.
"As we endeavour to build an AI-ready population, however, we must look beyond simply teaching people how to use AI. The next step is to enable more Malaysians to create with it – to move from understanding and using AI to applying it in ways that solve problems and create value.
"This is critical to our ambition of becoming an AI Nation. Malaysia cannot be content with being a nation of AI users. We must also develop our own innovators, creators and builders. Put simply, we need more AI Builders," he says during a speech at the AI Malaysia Takeover 2026 in Ampang today (Aug 11).
The Digital Ministry further says that while schools, universities, and other formal qualifications will continue to serve significant roles, they cannot be the only ways to learn and develop skills in the rapidly growing and transforming field of AI.
Gobind points to more flexible and accessible ways of learning, including short courses, industry certifications, bootcamps, hackathons, peer learning and apprenticeships, adding that the government has a role to play in making AI accessible to Malaysians.
In achieving that, he says the expanded Rakyat Digital platform approach "is built around three priorities: Awareness, Access, and Adoption, or the 3As".
The Digital Literacy Hub on the platform will provide free access to foundational digital and AI learning to boost awareness among Malaysians, particularly on safe and responsible use for those first entering the AI space.
The platform will further provide a government-funded Global Learning Pass, which provides upskilling and professional development courses via Coursera to Malaysians from Sept 16 onwards.
Gobind adds that the programme will be offered in cohorts of 25,000 Malaysians every three months, with each participant receiving complimentary access to the platform for three months.
Later in October, the Rakyat Digital platform will introduce the AI Builders Club, giving Malaysians who have learned about AI a space to transition from learning to experimenting and developing new solutions using the technology.
