PUTRAJAYA — An AI Governance Bill and a Malaysia AI Safety Institute are the priorities of AI Malaysia Bhd, the new agency under the Ministry of Digital.
The bill and institute are needful as Malaysia accelerates efforts to strengthen responsible artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, AI Malaysia chairman Aireen Omar said in a statement today.
AI governance and safety must facilitate innovation and responsible technology adoption, rather than become barriers, while building confidence among businesses, the government and other organisations, she added.
Another key priority was coordinating implementation of the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030, which sets out 28 national initiatives aimed at translating Malaysia’s AI ambitions into tangible economic and social impact.
Aireen said AI Malaysia would ensure the country’s AI aspirations were translated into swift and disciplined implementation capable of delivering tangible economic and social impact.
“Our focus is clear: move fast, implement with discipline and deliver tangible economic and social impact,” she said.
Aireen said the Board of Directors was not merely a passive observer, but would empower AI Malaysia to build capabilities, accelerate AI adoption across the economy and ensure Malaysia captured greater value from the global AI transformation.
AI Malaysia’s inaugural Board of Directors held its first meeting yesterday, which established the foundation for the organisation’s governance and operations. Aireen was announced as chair of the board yesterday by the ministry, along with other board members.
They are Ministry of Digital secretary-general Datuk Fabian Bigar, Deputy Secretary-General (Digital Development) Ma Sivanesan a/l Marimuthu, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Chief Digital Technology Officer Muhammad Afhzal Abdul Rahman and Trendcell Sdn Bhd chairperson Foo Yen Ling Adelene.
At its first meeting, the Board approved the Board Charter and Interim Limits of Authority to establish a framework for decision-making processes, responsibilities and organisational controls.
AI Malaysia said its direction was anchored in the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030 and the AI Nation 2030 aspiration, which seeks to move Malaysia beyond being merely an AI user towards becoming a country that creates solutions, develops capabilities and owns AI intellectual property.
AI Malaysia will also build on the foundations established by the National AI Office (NAIO), including the voluntary AI Code of Ethics, the Boardroom Primer on AI Governance, the AI Impact Assessment for the Public Sector and the AI Dataset Readiness Guide.
It said collaboration with the government, industry, academia and society would be strengthened to raise business productivity and competitiveness, improve public service delivery, and develop local AI talent and innovation. – September 12, 2026