PUTRAJAYA, June 11 — The Communications Ministry’s WhatsApp chatbot to curb the spread of fake news is almost ready, said Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the ministry will hold discussions with WhatsApp parent Meta soon.
“At present, there are several technical issues being scrutinised. We are also working to ensure the chatbot will be able to address issues raised in various languages, including Malay and English.
“When we finally launch it, there will be several main languages, but we will expand to other languages later as it is based on AI (artificial intelligence),” he told reporters after his ministry’s monthly assembly here today.
In his speech earlier, Fahmi said while waiting for the chatbot facility to be launched, he called on the ministry staff to be on the front line in countering disinformation and fake news on social media including WhatsApp, to ensure only accurate information reaches the people.
“I hope that until we launch that chatbot, we can also play a role in monitoring what is being circulated in WhatsApp, and on social media, and if any of the information is not accurate, then we need to rebut properly by presenting the facts.
“We as the ministry must be on the front lines to counter disinformation,” he said.
— Bernama
