Love it or hate it, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been dominating the tech space in recent years. ChatGPT has been making waves since its launch and the latest trend seems to be photo-editing using AI.
However you feel about it, it looks like AI is here to stay. So instead of being ignorant of what’s happening, it’s probably best to better understand what exactly AI is and how it can be used.
If you’re heavily against it, maybe think of it this way: You have to know what you’re up against before you can fight it.
That’s probably not what the government had in mind. But in any case, the Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, just launched an AI programme for the people of Malaysia called AI Untuk Rakyat today.
Developed in collaboration with Intel Malaysia, this programme by MyDIGITAL Corporation is the latest government initiative to be introduced.
At the launch that happened in Universiti Putra Malaysia, the Minister of Economy, Rafizi Ramli stated that AI Untuk Rakyat is intended to close the digital literacy gap among Malaysians.
He further explained that the programme is meant to provide students with a basic overview of the world of AI. The aim is to attract the interest of students to join the sector and further build a career in it.
“For the rest of the community, this programme can provide a basic understanding of AI so that we can better understand that it is a technology that can bring great benefits to us as individuals,” he reportedly said.
“By taking advantage of this opportunity, we are able to build a future-proof digital economy and enable Malaysia to generate higher value on the world stage,” Rafizi added.
Keeping up with the AI trend
For those interested, the programme’s website is already up and running for users. A free course open to all Malaysians, AI Untuk Rakyat is available in four languages. Namely, Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, and Tamil.
In the programme, there are two modules—AI Aware and AI Appreciate. AI Aware introduces and discusses AI use cases and clears up common misunderstandings about AI. On the other hand, AI Appreciate explores the application and impact of AI across industries, targeting those who want to improve their knowledge about AI.
The programme starts off with a knowledge check to gauge the learner’s understanding and experience with AI before jumping into the first AI Aware module.
The programme uses a flexible self-learning approach, so that learners can complete the course at their own pace. According to Rafizi, the estimated time needed to complete the course is about four hours.
Aside from knowledge about AI, those who complete the course will gain two digital badges—one for the AI Aware module, and one for AI Appreciate. Note that they’re not official certifications that will deem you an AI expert, at least for now.
In addition to social media marketing, AI Untuk Rakyat will also be promoted through government departments and agencies, such as Rakan Muda under the Youth and Sports Ministry, digital economy centres (PEDi) under the Communications Ministry, and the National Science Centre under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Other than that, Rafizi also welcomed companies and institutions from the private sector to jointly make this programme a success.
Rafizi stated that the government is targeting one million participants by the end of this year. Will you be one of them?
- Learn more about AI Untuk Rakyat here.
- Read articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: Anwar Ibrahim