TOKYO — Artificial intelligence (AI) must serve real development needs, with humans the driving force in decision making, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
AI must ultimately serve real development needs, including improving public services, boosting productivity and supporting key sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, engineering and the civil service, he told students at a lecture while on a working visit to Tokyo, Japan, today
“The better ambition is the capability to decide where AI should be used, where it should be limited, and where human judgement must remain paramount,” he said in his lecture titled “Humanity in a Human-Machine Civilisation” at the University of Tokyo, Bernama reports.
Anwar said AI has its uses, but this must be accompanied by efforts to ensure the technology is used responsibly.
As an example, he said AI could be used for ageing populations, but this would require stronger national capabilities in talent development, infrastructure and data governance.
He also told the students that AI “does not arrive with a fixed purpose” but is shaped by human decisions, through laws, institutions and moral responsibility.
“AI must ultimately serve people and strengthen humanity rather than diminish it, with societies preserving values such as conscience, responsibility, integrity and care.
“We must build systems that serve human beings and enrich our humanity, not debase it; institutions that remain answerable to them; and societies that remember what no machine can inherit on our behalf: conscience, responsibility, integrity and care for one another,” Anwar said.
He called for the development of AI to be guided by ethics, human values and a deep understanding of society to ensure technological progress remained inclusive and sustainable.
AI should all not be viewed merely as a specialised field, but as a cross-cutting force that influences economics, technology and virtually every area of study.
“The future lies in multidisciplinary knowledge, grounded in ethics and humanity,” he said.
Anwar, who is currently on a three-day official visit to Japan, kick-started today’s programme at the University of Tokyo, where he also received a courtesy call from University of Tokyo President Prof Teruo Fujii before addressing the audience.
At present, more than 2,000 Malaysian government-sponsored students are studying in Japan. – June 9, 2026