From AI Excellence to National Impact: Building Malaysia’s AI Nation by 2030
From AI Excellence to National Impact: Building Malaysia’s AI Nation by 2030
Key figures at the AI untuk Rakyat launch (from left to right): Dato’ Nor Azmie Diron, Secretary General, Ministry of Economy; Rafizi Ramli, Minister of Economy; Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim; Dato’ Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Haji Abdul Aziz, Director General of Public Service; and AK Chong, Vice President of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations, Intel Corporation, and Managing Director, Intel Malaysia, holding their AI untuk Rakyat badges as the official launch ceremony of the programme on 16 January 2024
16 October 2026 – At the Asia AI Excellence Award 2026 – Winner’s Announcement hosted by PEOPLElogy Berhad, MyDIGITAL Corporation’s Director of Adoption, Azlan Ismail, joined a panel on “AI Excellence to AI Impact: What’s Next For Asia?” to share the views on Malaysia’s ambition to become an AI Nation 2030 through Malaysia Digital 2030 and the National AI Action Plan 2030.
The discussion explored how AI is actively reshaping the world and how to navigate strategies to scale AI in an AI-first economy. From a national perspective, Malaysia’s vision is clear that we need to transition Malaysia to a country that builds Made by Malaysia products by using AI in an inclusive and sustainable manner.
Azlan shared that while the technology that is used and having clean and clear data are fundamental to getting the best output from AI, it is ultimately down to people who use the AI that make a difference. The output is only as good as the input and ensuring that the Rakyat are well equipped to use AI is what will determine the ultimate success for the country.
Azlan also shared that Rakyat Digital has been created with this end in mind: to be a central platform where the rakyat can easily learn about AI from all angles and at all levels. It helps to provide the foundational knowledge for any Malaysian looking to start. By addressing awareness, access and adoption, Rakyat Digital provides practical knowledge and solutions for Malaysians aged 18 and above to get the best knowledge on AI at their fingertips. Youths aged 18-30 also have an opportunity to redeem access to a free generative AI tool for 3 months that will get them to actually try their hand at using premium AI tools to improve their workflow.
The panel was moderated by Ayman Shamsudin, Head of Consultants at PEOPLElogy Berhad and also featured Ashraf Rozali, Lead of Strategic Pursuits at Google.
As Malaysia works towards becoming an AI Nation by 2030, building a future-ready society means investing not only in technology, but also in the people and capabilities that will shape how it is used.
Thank you to Coursera and Udemy for the opportunity to contribute to this conversation, and to fellow panellists Raja Singham (BAC Education Group), Usha Devi (UOB) and Janet Sng (OCBC), and moderator Ramya Srinivasan, for a thoughtful exchange.
Human skills. AI scale.
For MyDIGITAL Corporation, this is also a reminder of the role we play in supporting Malaysia’s digital transformation journey, not only in shaping plans, but in helping ensure that change is owned, embedded and able to evolve over time.