GEORGE TOWN, May 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged all implementing agencies to prioritise training youth on artificial intelligence (AI) so the country does not fall behind in the field.
The prime minister said Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) fields should also be given emphasis by ensuring anyone interested, including religious school students, benefit from programmes provided by ministries and government agencies.
“TVET needs to be enhanced to meet (investor demands), like three or four days ago when we had Microsoft investing RM10.5 billion, which requires tens of thousands of workers.
“If (the investment involves) the entire ecosystem, then hundreds of thousands of workers need to be trained. Do we have that capability?” asked Anwar, noting that Malaysia currently lacks 30,000 engineers.
He said this in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Northern Zone Madani Rakyat 2024 programme at Tapak Pesta Sungai Nibong here today.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said AI training and TVET must be accessible to all to avoid disparities between urban and rural areas.
“I hope the federal government will collaborate with state governments to prioritise this new training stage. Otherwise, we will fall behind,” he said.
The prime minister urged the Education Ministry (MOE) to continue efforts to foster interest among school students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects to strengthen the local AI and TVET fields.
“Our children are less interested in mathematics and science, so I told the MOE there needs to be a concerted push for this transition to happen immediately,” he said.
Addressing the current challenges of AI, he said youth, especially Muslim youth, need to master this new technology to help integrate the principles of the Quran and hadith to safeguard values upheld in Malaysia.
“If we import AI solely from the West, we will face problems. Our children must have the expertise to integrate the principles of the Quran, hadith and Islamic criteria in the framework or elements of this AI system, so when new technology enters Malaysia, we will not worry that the West will dictate our values. We can uphold our dignity and values as Malaysian citizens,” he said.
The prime minister said Malaysia cannot lag behind in terms of public service efficiency compared with neighbouring countries, especially concerning approval processes, as it is crucial to attract investments.
Anwar said he wants the speed of investment approvals to be on a par with other countries like Vietnam.
— Bernama
