by Tan Aik Keong (AK)
Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) released its AI Roadmap 2021–2025 back in 2021, aimed at driving comprehensive AI development across the country. The detailed plan doesn't just cover technical R&D and innovation — it spans talent development, industry application, and a policy and governance framework, all aimed at lifting national competitiveness through widespread AI adoption and pursuing sustainable economic and social development.
R&D and innovation: pushing toward the global AI frontier
The roadmap emphasises that Malaysia will deepen both foundational and applied AI research, aiming for real breakthroughs in core technology areas — machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision. These technologies are meant to be applied across industries to lift productivity and efficiency: in manufacturing, AI-optimised production processes cutting waste and improving efficiency; in healthcare, AI helping improve diagnostic accuracy and personalised treatment planning. Government also plans to partner with local and international research institutions and companies to push frontier AI research forward, and to establish a national-level AI research centre to give technical innovation solid backing.
Talent development: building a high-calibre AI workforce
Talent sits at the core of the AI race. To meet its innovation goals, the roadmap sets out a series of education and training initiatives aimed at building both theoretical knowledge and practical capability. This includes: university partnerships, working with leading local and international universities to develop AI-related curricula and research programmes, with scholarships and research grants; vocational training, upskilling existing employees so they can adapt to and use new technology, delivered through both online platforms and physical training centres; and early education, introducing coding and basic AI concepts at primary and secondary school level, using competitions and summer camps to build student interest in AI.
Industry application: driving AI adoption across sectors
Widespread AI application is one of the roadmap's core goals. Malaysia hopes AI adoption can lift both productivity and service quality across industries, drive digital transformation in traditional sectors, and strengthen market competitiveness and sustainability. Key application areas include: agriculture, using AI for precision farm management, improving crop yield and resource efficiency through sensors and data analysis for soil and climate monitoring; finance, using AI for risk management, fraud detection and customer-service optimisation, lifting the security and efficiency of financial services; transport, developing smart transport systems, including autonomous driving technology and traffic-flow management, to lift the efficiency and safety of transport management; and healthcare, applying AI to disease prediction, medical imaging analysis and personalised treatment planning, lifting the quality and accessibility of healthcare.
Policy and governance: building a sound AI ecosystem
To ensure AI's sustainable development and application, the Malaysian government will build a robust policy and governance framework to keep AI development aligned with ethical norms and legal requirements. This includes: data privacy protection, drafting strict data-protection regulation to keep personal privacy from being violated, safeguarding data security through both technical and legal means; ethical standards, establishing ethical guidelines for AI use to prevent misuse and ensure transparency and fairness; and regulatory mechanisms, setting up dedicated regulatory bodies to oversee and guide AI R&D and application, keeping it operating within a legal framework. Government also plans to draw on international cooperation to learn from other countries' AI policy and governance experience, contributing to the standardisation of global AI governance.
International cooperation: joining the global AI innovation network
Malaysia will actively participate in international AI technology and industry cooperation, exchanging with other countries and international organisations to bring in advanced technology and management experience. Facing global challenges like AI ethics and shifting employment structures, Malaysia will work through international cooperation to address them jointly, pushing for responsible AI development. The country will also pursue bilateral and multilateral collaboration to drive cross-border AI research and development, promoting technology transfer and innovation, and plans to work with international organisations on talent-exchange and joint-training programmes to broaden local AI talent's international outlook and competitiveness. Regionally, Malaysia will strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries, building regional AI research centres and innovation networks to share resources and technology, and jointly lift the region's AI capability and industry competitiveness.
Closing
Through the AI Roadmap 2021–2025, MOSTI has laid out a clear blueprint for Malaysia's comprehensive AI development — spanning R&D and innovation, talent development, industry application, and policy and governance. Through these initiatives, Malaysia aims to lift national competitiveness and achieve sustainable economic and social development, while actively participating in international cooperation and joining the global AI innovation network — working to secure an important place in the global AI landscape, advance responsible AI development, and contribute to shared prosperity at home and abroad.
Part of the AK AI Corner column. Originally published in Oriental Daily (东方日报) on Jun 29, 2024.