Latest news with #HAWANA2025


Coin Geek
26-06-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
Malaysia turns to AI to future-proof journalism
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Malaysia is marching toward digital transformation, integrating emerging technologies into key sectors of its economy, with journalism tapped to join the trend. According to a report, the Malaysian government has earmarked RM30 million (US$6.35 million) to digitize media houses in the Southeast Asian country. The grant to publishing outlets will power the integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain into their internal operations. The US$6.35 million grant was announced at HAWANA 2025, an annual journalism conference with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in attendance. The Malaysian Prime Minister confirmed the grant at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Center in a hall packed to the rafters. In his keynote address, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the digital transformation grant would improve the state of journalism, aligning with the pace of global digitization. Attendees to the event hailed the development, noting that the funds will strengthen the quality of reporting while improving turnaround times. 'Digital transformation is no longer an option but a necessity,' said one Editor-in-Chief of a leading Malaysian publication. 'This support will help us face the evolving challenges brought by new technologies and changing reader behaviour.' Apart from the capital injection into media houses, Malaysia has launched an AI-based fact-checking chatbot designed to combat AI-generated fake news. The chatbot, dubbed AIFA, is now integrated into social media platforms like WhatsApp, where most residents consume news. Key media sector players have confirmed a raft of international and regional partnerships to maintain 'credible and culturally rooted' reporting across Southeast Asia. Malaysian authorities are embracing AI en masse, with the country's anti-corruption agencies leaning on the technology to fight graft. The regulatory watchdog uses AI tools for real-time monitoring and predictive analytics to stifle the operation of scammers. Journalism at risk from AI advancements, experts warn The United Nations (UN) has raised the alarm at heightened risks from AI, citing the mass dissemination of fake news and the use of AI models for censorship by rogue states. Furthermore, the UN points out the risks of monopolization from a few AI companies controlling a large market share. Global regulators are scrambling to set up new regulatory standards to combat the attendant risk of AI in the media sectors. Conversely, tech firms are rolling out tools to verify AI-generated content while social media platforms are clamping down on the circulation of deepfakes. Amazon announces $13 billion investment to expand Australia's AI and data center infrastructure On another part of the globe, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has announced an AU$20 billion (US$13 billion) investment in Australia to improve the country's artificial intelligence and data center capabilities. The $13 billion investment is the largest technology investment announcement in the country's history, dwarfing previous capital injections. A look at the announcement reveals that a significant chunk of the sum will be deployed toward expanding Australia's cloud and AI capabilities. The latest capital injection builds on a ten-year streak of Amazon's investment in Australia, marked by six data centers in the region. From the announcement, it is unclear whether new data centers will be created or if the funds will be solely used to expand the capabilities of existing data centers. However, the statement confirms that a part of the funds will be used to invest in three new solar farms to power Amazon's data center operations. Amazon is aiming to scale its combined energy capacity to 170 megawatts (MW) from the three solar farms. Currently, the technology giant has eight solar farms across Australia, generating 1.4 million MW hours per year. 'This is the largest investment our country has seen from a global technology provider, and is an exciting opportunity for Australia to build AI capability using secure, resilient infrastructure,' said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Amazon has committed to deploying a slice of the funds to back a wave of AI education initiatives across Australia. The technology giant has launched AWS AI Spring Australia, following up on previous AI learning initiatives like Generative AI Accelerator and AWS AI Launchpad for individuals and enterprises. So far, Amazon has trained over 400,000 Australian residents with AI and emerging technology skills. Several Australia-based corporations have embedded Amazon's AI offerings into their core operations, with small businesses leading in adoption metrics. 'The investment will generate economic opportunity for Australians, including skilled jobs and infrastructure that can support complex AI and supercomputing applications,' said the Prime Minister. Australia records meteoric AI growth AI adoption in Australia has surged to an all-time high, driven by a swathe of government initiatives and heavy private investment. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has previously invested over $3.2 billion to improve Australia's AI and data center capabilities, pledging to deepen the technology talent pool. In terms of utility, use cases are soaring, with an Australian charity turning to AI to protect the Daintree rainforest from ecological challenges. Furthermore, military AI applications in Australia have spiked, and regulators are turning to regional partnerships to ensure the safe development and use of AI systems. In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek's coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI . Watch: AI and Big Data will be a long-term trend title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">


The Sun
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Malaysia Media Council: Best platform to manage journalist ethical issues
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) is the best platform to manage ethical issues of journalists including the recent publication of an infographic regarding the appointment of Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail by a local newspaper, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He described the infographic report as having given an inaccurate narrative impact and causing defamation. 'I was quite surprised by the publication of an infographic that was incorrect, very incorrect because I have never seen Datuk Khalid in any event, meeting, or convention or party congress. So that is a slander that for me is very bad. 'We have just established the Media Council, but the structures have not been established yet... But for me, in a situation like this, the Media Council is the best platform for us to manage issues including journalistic ethics as intended,' he said. He told reporters at the Kita MADANI Carnival at the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Federal Territories level which was held at IWK Eco Park, Lembah Pantai here. Also present was Information Department director-general Julina Johan. Recently, a local newspaper published an infographic of Mohd Khalid's biodata which stated that he had held a high position in PKR. However, the newspaper has since withdrawn the publication and made a public apology. It is understood that there have been reports made by the public regarding the publication. On June 14, Fahmi, in a press conference after the opening of the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2025 Summit at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) here, announced that the Malaysian Media Council (MMM) Act would come into effect on that day (June 14). While speaking at the opening of HAWANA 2025, Fahmi also announced that the MMM Founding Board had been finalised. He said the Founding Board would be made up of 12 people, consisting of four representatives for each category, namely the media company category, media association category, media practitioners and independent media practitioners, as well as the non-media member category.


The Sun
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
MMC: Best platform to manage journalist ethical issues
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) is the best platform to manage ethical issues of journalists including the recent publication of an infographic regarding the appointment of Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail by a local newspaper, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He described the infographic report as having given an inaccurate narrative impact and causing defamation. 'I was quite surprised by the publication of an infographic that was incorrect, very incorrect because I have never seen Datuk Khalid in any event, meeting, or convention or party congress. So that is a slander that for me is very bad. 'We have just established the Media Council, but the structures have not been established yet... But for me, in a situation like this, the Media Council is the best platform for us to manage issues including journalistic ethics as intended,' he said. He told reporters at the Kita MADANI Carnival at the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Federal Territories level which was held at IWK Eco Park, Lembah Pantai here. Also present was Information Department director-general Julina Johan. Recently, a local newspaper published an infographic of Mohd Khalid's biodata which stated that he had held a high position in PKR. However, the newspaper has since withdrawn the publication and made a public apology. It is understood that there have been reports made by the public regarding the publication. On June 14, Fahmi, in a press conference after the opening of the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2025 Summit at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) here, announced that the Malaysian Media Council (MMM) Act would come into effect on that day (June 14). While speaking at the opening of HAWANA 2025, Fahmi also announced that the MMM Founding Board had been finalised. He said the Founding Board would be made up of 12 people, consisting of four representatives for each category, namely the media company category, media association category, media practitioners and independent media practitioners, as well as the non-media member category.


The Sun
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Govt's funding a step towards future-ready mainstream media
KUALA LUMPUR: The allocation of RM30 million announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for media organisations in the country to implement digital transformation and adopt new technology received kudos from journalists, as it will go a long way to attract the younger generation to mainstream content. This initiative is also seen as significant to ensure that the mainstream media remains relevant in the fast-paced digital era, by positioning it as a platform capable of content creation to deliver information in a more creative, engaging, accurate and high-impact manner. National Press Club (NPC) vice-president Farrah Naz Abd Karim described the allocation as a catalyst for media organisations to use creative approaches in delivering important issues to make them more digestible for young readers. 'This also proves that the MADANI government is paying attention to this industry by working together to think about ways to improve the quality of output from players in the journalism industry,' she said, thanking the government for the allocation. Meanwhile, Sinar Harian Group Editor-in-Chief Zamri Rambli, when contacted, said the funding was an important step in strengthening the country's media industry. According to him, digital transformation is no longer an option but a necessity in ensuring journalism remains relevant and sustainable. 'Government support for media organisations will help us adapt to the challenges of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and shifts in reader habits. 'We hope that this fund can be effectively utilised, not only to enhance digital infrastructure but also to empower journalists to deliver news faster, more accurately and with integrity,' he said. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during the HAWANA 2025 summit at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre here last Saturday, announced an allocation of RM30 million for media organisations in the country to implement digital transformation and adopt new technologies. The HAWANA 2025 celebration, organised by the Communications Ministry with Bernama as the implementing agency, aims to recognise the role and contribution of media practitioners in national development. May 29 was gazetted as National Journalists' Day in conjunction with the publication of the first edition of the Utusan Melayu newspaper on May 29, 1939, to celebrate the contribution of industry players as a medium in shaping the minds of an informed society.

Barnama
16-06-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Govt's Funding A Step Towards Future-Ready Mainstream Media
KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- The allocation of RM30 million announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for media organisations in the country to implement digital transformation and adopt new technology received kudos from journalists, as it will go a long way to attract the younger generation to mainstream content. This initiative is also seen as significant to ensure that the mainstream media remains relevant in the fast-paced digital era, by positioning it as a platform capable of content creation to deliver information in a more creative, engaging, accurate and high-impact manner. National Press Club (NPC) vice-president Farrah Naz Abd Karim described the allocation as a catalyst for media organisations to use creative approaches in delivering important issues to make them more digestible for young readers. 'This also proves that the MADANI government is paying attention to this industry by working together to think about ways to improve the quality of output from players in the journalism industry,' she said, thanking the government for the allocation. Meanwhile, Sinar Harian Group Editor-in-Chief Zamri Rambli, when contacted, said the funding was an important step in strengthening the country's media industry. According to him, digital transformation is no longer an option but a necessity in ensuring journalism remains relevant and sustainable. 'Government support for media organisations will help us adapt to the challenges of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and shifts in reader habits. 'We hope that this fund can be effectively utilised, not only to enhance digital infrastructure but also to empower journalists to deliver news faster, more accurately and with integrity,' he said. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, during the HAWANA 2025 summit at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre here last Saturday, announced an allocation of RM30 million for media organisations in the country to implement digital transformation and adopt new technologies.