Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo says the newly launched Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics (AIGE) guidelines will play an important role when the National AI Office starts operating soon.
Speaking at the launch of AIGE in Putrajaya this morning, Gobind said: “We are aware that there will be concerns about ethical implications and data security. This code of ethics is therefore necessary to build cyber trust and a resilient digital ecosystem.”
“AIGE will strengthen existing laws and regulations such as the Cyber Security Act 2024 that came into effect on Aug 26 and the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, which was amended recently to include key additions such as the appointment of data protection officers, mandatory data breach notifications, and increased penalties for breaches of PDP principles. The Ministry of Digital will also table the Data Sharing Bill to, among other things, supervise data sharing between agencies and the public sector.
“AIGE will also play an important role when the NAIO, which comes under the purview of MyDigital Corporation, starts operating in November. The National AI Office and AIGE will move in tandem to build an AI ecosystem that will accelerate the nation’s digital transformation, promote sustainable growth, and propel Malaysia into a regional AI hub,” he added.
Gobind said AI is now part of our daily lives, from applications that serve businesses, to everyday essentials, playing a big role in increasing productivity and the quality of life.
“This is because AI can contribute up to US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Generative AI (Gen AI), meanwhile, can add between US$2.6 trillion and US$4.4 trillion to the world’s economy annually. In Malaysia, Gen AI has the potential to generate productive capacity worth US$113.4 billion to the nation’s economy.”
Gobind went on to provide examples of how AI is widely used among businesses in Malaysia and beyond.
“AI is being used widely in almost all industries. Local company Wise AI, for example, is known for its e-KYC (Know Your Customer) products that use AI technology to help organisations determine the needs and wants of their customers better. In 2022, the Lung Cancer Network Malaysia, in collaboration with AstraZeneca and Qualitas Medical Group, introduced AI technology to detect lung cancer.
“AI technology is also being used in schools and higher learning institutions. The ‘Pandai’ application, developed locally, assists students in studying efficiently.
“Earlier this month, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) launched an AI competency framework for students and teachers. Its purpose is to assist teachers and their students to understand the potential and risks of AI so that they will interact safely, ethically, and responsibly,” he added.
Gobind said the AIGE is also in line with the Asean Guide on AI Governance and Ethics. The initiative serves as a practical guide for organisations in the region that wish to design, develop, and deploy traditional AI technologies in commercial and non-military or dual-use applications.
Malaysia will assume the Asean chair next year.
