Digital minister opens National AI Readiness Week as drive targets five million AI-ready Malaysians

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo urged Malaysians to use AI confidently while questioning its outputs at the launch of National AI Readiness Week 2026. — File picture by Sayuti Zainudin

By R. Loheswar

First Published: Thursday, 12 Nov 2026 4:05 PM MYT

AMPANG, Nov 12 — Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo today urged Malaysians to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) with confidence, saying they should learn to use it effectively while questioning its outputs.

Opening PEOPLElogy Berhad’s National AI Readiness Week 2026 (NAIRW 2026) at The Campus Ampang, Gobind said growing interest in AI must be matched by practical skills and human oversight of decisions affecting others.

“An answer can sound convincing and still be wrong. The ability to question it is part of being ready,” he said.

He urged organisers to ensure readiness assessments lead to suitable training and opportunities to practise, with progress measured by the skills participants develop.

He also called for continued collaboration with MyDIGITAL Corporation and AI Malaysia Berhad, alongside responsible handling of personal data.

Gobind encouraged Malaysians to use the ministry’s Rakyat Digital portal, run by MyDIGITAL Corporation, which offers free, self-paced courses in introductory AI, generative AI, AI safety and cybersecurity.

Several courses are available in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.

He said Malaysians could begin with skills useful to them and seek guidance as needed.

Also present was the ministry’s secretary-general, Datuk Fabian Bigar.

PEOPLElogy founder and managing director Allen Lee said Malaysia’s AI future would depend on how well it prepares its people.

“Technology alone does not transform a nation. People do. And that is why we started the I’m AI READY movement,” he said.

Lee said the movement aims to get five million Malaysians to declare “I’m AI Ready” by 2030, mobilise an additional RM50 million in scholarships for at least 10,000 Malaysians, help at least 10,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adopt AI, and establish an AI workforce alliance across South-east Asia.

“AI transformation should not be a privilege reserved for large corporations. It must be accessible to businesses of every size.”

He said the movement would reach Malaysians through nationwide campaigns, free seminars, workshops, online classes and community programmes.

Lee said PEOPLElogy worked with about 25 government agencies, foundations and enterprises between 2017 and 2025 to mobilise about RM70 million in scholarships, benefiting close to 15,000 Malaysians.

He called on corporations, foundations, universities, NGOs and technology organisations to support the movement by sponsoring scholarships, training employees and helping SMEs.

PEOPLElogy is also providing RM3 million in AI Mastery Scholarships.

NAIRW 2026, themed “From AI Awareness to AI Readiness: A Purposeful Journey to Sustainable Employment”, features the I’m AI READY Summit until November 14.

The summit offers SMEs, entrepreneurs, students and workers an AI-readiness assessment and a personalised upskilling roadmap.

It will be followed by the Build a Future Team (BAFT) Leaders Conference on November 17 and 18 and the Asia AI Excellence Awards 2026 Gala Dinner on November 18, both at Marriott Petaling Jaya.

The conference brings together senior human resources and IT leaders to plan for AI adoption, while the awards recognise organisations for AI adoption and responsible digital transformation.