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The Star
7 days ago
- Business
- The Star
AI the great equaliser, says Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR: The developmental divide in different parts of the country will be bridged with Artificial Intelligence (AI), says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 'AI will not be a tool for the few. It will be a force for all; powering better governance, sparking innovation and improving lives. 'Through our AI Nation Framework, we will ensure that AI works for every Malaysian, in every corner of the country,' the Prime Minister said. He said technological advancement would also help empower small businesses and communities across Asean. 'For Asean, this is a generational opportunity. 'With over 700 million citizens, a rapidly growing digital economy and an extraordinary diversity of cultures and languages, our region is uniquely placed to shape AI in ways that are inclusive and ethical,' he said when launching the Asean AI Summit 2025 here. He also said the vision to harness AI should not simply be to catch up with the rest of the world, but also to be a leader. This, he said, could be done by offering a model of innovation grounded in trust, rooted in equity and shaped by South-East Asian values. 'The true measure of AI's success is not in the sophistication of its technology, but in its ability to meaningfully uplift the lives of our rakyat,' he added. Anwar said the Malaysian government was committed to digital transformation. At the centre of that transformation is Malaysia's ambition to be an AI Nation. Anwar also launched Malaysia's first large language model (LLM) called 'Ilmu'. 'Ilmu' – short for Intelek Luhur Malaysia Untukmu – is a multimodal AI model that can process and generate text, voice and images. The model, fully developed by YTL AI Lab, tops all frontier models in understanding the Malay language, outperforms Llama 3.1 in real-world problem-solving and equals GPT-4o in handling complex instructions. YTL AI Labs also announced the Ilmu AI Accelerator Programme in partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), which is open to Malaysian start-ups, SMEs and global solution providers. Digital Minister Gobind Singh, who was present, said Malaysia was committed towards making the national AI vision inclusive for all citizens. 'In 2024, a report by the United Nations and International Labour Organisation observed that there is an AI divide, where high-income nations benefit from AI advancements, while low- and medium-income countries lag behind. 'The ministry's strategy is to close this divide,' he said in his speech. Gobind also said the ministry was working to expand free AI literacy programmes and building homegrown innovation ecosystems. 'Affordability and access are equally critical. 'If only a select few can use and shape AI systems, then it is only that select few who will influence decisions we make. 'We want every Malaysian to have the means and skills to guide AI,' he added. Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn said the inaugural Asean AI Summit demonstrated that the bloc could forge more pathways that make AI a driver of peace, prosperity and progress. 'Let us seize this opportunity to build an AI-powered Asean economy aligned for a future where technology empowers all,' he said.
New Straits Times
12-08-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Anwar: ILMU 1.0 will ensure AI benefits 'every Malaysian in every corner'
KUALA LUMPUR: Artificial intelligence (AI), if approached with foresight and courage, can bridge development divides, empower small businesses, uplift rural communities, and strengthen public services, healthcare, and education, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Speaking at the launch of Malaysia's upgraded ILMU large language model (LLM) today, Anwar said the nation stood at "a defining crossroads" in harnessing technology to shape its economic future, identity, public trust, and moral compass. "Our vision is not only to harness AI just to catch up with the rest of the world, but to lead in some areas, to protect our values, to give meaning to the principle of equity and justice," he said. He cautioned that failure to address the widening knowledge gap in new disciplines could deepen divisions between the skilled and the unskilled. "Would we rather remain completely incapable of mounting an effective challenge to uplift the standards? "The divide will become real and the challenges for the country would be serious," he said. Malaysia's AI Nation framework, he added, would ensure AI benefits "every Malaysian in every corner of the country" through five pillars: forward-looking policies, a digitally skilled workforce, secure and reliable infrastructure, advancement of digital trust, and strategic investments via public-private partnerships and global collaboration. "We have made a very bold decision, and I'm proud to say that we are ahead… with such confidence in terms of digitalisation and AI. "We want to share this and work together with our neighbours in Southeast Asia," he said. Alluding to a meeting with religious scholars in Kelantan two days earlier, Anwar stressed the importance of keeping pace with technological change while continuing to uphold faith and moral values. "I commend them initially for becoming the best in the battle against colonialism in all its forms… That phase has passed. "So I told these leaders, scholars, this generation, and I believe the future generation, we remain eternally grateful to you, where you stood firm to defend the faith and moral values, and in rejecting the imposition by a foreign alien system. "But then, here's the catch — what about now? "I'm not here to change or dictate the curriculum. But I appeal to you: while retaining faith and moral values based on Islamic tradition, we are now confronting a different power challenge. "If you do not address this, it will cause a divide between those who have high knowledge and those who remain completely ignorant of the new disciplines," he said. The launch, part of the Asean AI Malaysia Summit 2025 opening ceremony, marked the start of an inaugural gathering to chart the direction of AI in Malaysia, particularly in governance. The two-day summit at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) is organised by the Digital Ministry and attended by Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Bakar, Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn, and Asean delegates, alongside global experts and industry players. Malaysia's sovereign AI platform, ILMU — short for Intelek Luhur Malaysia Untukmu (Excellent Malaysian Intelligence for You) — is a homegrown LLM developed by YTL AI Labs. Built to understand and process text, voice, and images, it is designed with strong emphasis on local context, ethics, and safety. The first iteration, ILMU 0.1, was unveiled in December 2024 and outperformed leading global LLMs in Malay-language benchmarks, even passing Malaysia's PT3 and SPM national exams with top grades. Today's launch of ILMU 1.0 marks a major upgrade, supported by Malaysia's first national AI supercomputer housed at YTL Power's green data centre in Johor. Powered by NVIDIA's GB200 "Grace Blackwell" chips via the DGX Cloud platform, the infrastructure delivers the computing capacity needed for advanced AI training and deployment. The ILMU project is part of Malaysia's broader push to build sovereign AI capabilities that are globally competitive while serving national priorities.
