PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has about four years to establish itself as a globally competitive artificial intelligence (AI) nation, but gaps remain in talent and industry adoption, says National AI Office (NAIO) head Sam Majid. He said there are significant gaps between ambition and ­readiness, particularly in the adoption of AI among Malaysian businesses. “If we do not close these gaps, we risk remaining merely an AI consumer rather than becoming an AI producer,” he told The Star. “These include the Personal Data Protection Act, the Data Sharing Act, and the Cybersecurity Act, along with a hybrid-tiered AI governance model and an AI Governance Bill targeted for tabling this year,” he said. He also said NAIO is introducing subsidised AI toolkits for MSMEs, launching the Talent Pipeline @ Scale initiative to reskill 700,000 workers, and establishing AI Growth Zones to match industry challenges with researchers and venture builders.

Source: The Star April 11, 2026 05:10 UTC