KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Digital will prioritise Malaysia’s transformation into an artificial intelligence nation by 2030 through GovTech initiatives in the upcoming 2026 budget.
Minister Gobind Singh Deo confirmed these priorities following a meeting with the Ministry of Finance ahead of the October 10 budget presentation.
The ministry aims to establish Malaysia as an AI nation with strong GovTech focus while creating a dedicated GovTech institution to improve digital service delivery to citizens.
Gobind announced these initiatives during his officiation of the AI for Good Educator Conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
The ministry also emphasised cybersecurity and personal data protection as key budget priorities alongside the AI development agenda.
Current efforts involve developing necessary structures to build and support Malaysia’s new digital ecosystem according to the minister’s statement.
Budget allocations will focus on establishing these institutions to realise the AI nation vision by 2030 as outlined in the 13th Malaysia Plan.
The AI nation initiative aligns with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s vision for Malaysia’s digital transformation under the national development plan.
The AI for Good Educator Conference marked Malaysia’s official launch of the ASEAN AI for Good Train-the-Trainer Programme.
This conference was co-organised by the National AI Office, Meta and AI Singapore to equip educators with essential AI knowledge and tools.
The regional programme launched in October 2024 aims to benefit 5,000 students across ASEAN by 2025 through enhanced AI education capabilities. – Bernama