SERDANG – The Higher Education Ministry and public universities are to report their monthly learning and usage of artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
He said it is part of the government’s efforts to see more Malaysians embrace technology and keep the country from falling behind.
The government also aims to have one million Malaysians understand basic AI within a year, he said at the launch of the AI Untuk Rakyat programme at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) today.
“AI is a new technology that must be mastered and accepted now.
“If we only talk about it today, it will take three months for universities and schools to plan for it, another six months for students to learn and adopt it, and we will have lost a year.
“So, (university) vice-chancellors who are present, I hope those in this university (UPM) and in other universities, even the Higher Education Ministry, please ensure that all students are learning AI,” Anwar said.
The reports on the monthly learning of AI are to be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Department.
Anwar said today that one need not specialise in information technology to adopt AI, as its usage spans many sectors.
The AI Untuk Rakyat programme launched today was developed for Malaysians to use for free in four languages – Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil – to learn the basics about AI.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, under whose purview the programme was developed, said today that it has two models that can be completed using a flexible, self-learning approach.
The programme, which can be accessed through the AI portal, can be completed at one’s leisure or in as fast as four hours, he added. – January 16, 2024