KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's ambition towards becoming an AI Nation by 2030 is more than just being a country that uses more artificial intelligence (AI).
"That would be too narrow. We want Malaysia to develop the capability to build, adopt and govern technology responsibly; to strengthen our own innovation ecosystem; to create opportunities for Malaysian companies and talent; and to ensure that the value generated by the digital economy contributes meaningfully to our country’s development," Deputy Digital Minister Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong said in his keynote speech at the CyberDSA event today (Oct 5).
He said that an AI nation should also be a "secure nation" as building AI systems requires data and the willingness of people and businesses to participate in the digital economy, which depends on trust.
"The Digital Ministry is therefore taking a whole-of-ecosystem approach. The Malaysia Digital Action Plan 2030 places trust and security among the country’s strategic priorities, while the establishment of AI Malaysia and the National AI Action Plan 2026 – 2030 strengthens our national capacity to develop and adopt AI in a way that is safe, responsible and trusted," he said.
Launched in June, the Malaysia Digital Action Plan 2030 aims to accelerate AI adoption across the government, industry and society while supporting the country’s AI National 2030 initiative.
Wilson Ugak also shared that a proposed Sovereign AI Cloud will also lay the foundation to support the development of secure and sovereign AI infrastructure.
He said the government also has to design governance to establish safeguards against threats such as deepfakes and automated cyberattacks.
"Malaysia is developing its proposed AI Governance Bill through a consultative and risk-based approach with the objective of providing greater clarity and protection without unnecessarily constraining innovation," he added.
Ultimately, Wilson Ugak said the future requires Malaysia to look at how it can become an AI Nation without disregarding the security of its talent and institutions.
"The future will not belong simply to those who adopt technology fastest. It will belong to those who can be trusted with the technology they build, the data they hold and the systems upon which others depend," he stated.
The Cyber Digital Services, Defence and Security Asia or CyberDSA 2026, is an exhibition and conference event focusing on cyber defence and digital security.
