KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign investments brought into the country need to be translated into various initiatives and programmes that benefit everyone, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He noted that large-scale investments are meaningless if they do not reflect any benefit to ordinary people.
As such, he said the cooperation demonstrated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Microsoft Malaysia through the 'MCMC-Microsoft AI Teach: Skills for an AI-enabled Economy' initiative and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchange is a testament to this.
"In my opinion, it is not enough to have large foreign investments if people do not also move forward in mastering digital technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), through various platforms.
"Our presence here today is proof that we need to translate these statements, big announcements and the figures about incoming investments into tangible benefits," he said in his speech at the MoU exchange ceremony between MCMC and Microsoft.
Previously, Microsoft announced an investment of US$2.2 billion (RM10.5 billion) over the next four years.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reportedly said that the amount is the largest single investment by Microsoft since the tech giant established itself in the country 32 years ago.
Fahmi also said that the cooperation is a very good effort to enhance public understanding regarding the use of AI.
"Whether in MCMC processes or for utilisation through the National Information Dissemination Centres (Nadi). I have advised Microsoft and MCMC to intensify efforts to raise public awareness and understanding of AI use, especially in suburban and rural areas, to ensure no community is left behind.
"With wide, affordable, and fast internet access, we also want to ensure people understand how to use the internet effectively, including benefiting from AI technology. So it's not just about hearing investment news."
Fahmi also cautioned the public on the use of AI for nefarious and criminal purposes, especially regarding deepfake content.
"For me, it's important that people understand how to use AI ethically. We don't want people to, for example, plagiarise, especially in their homework or coursework, and at the same time, not be deceived by the misuse of AI to generate deepfake content.
"So, awareness of this is also important. We want to make sure that as people embrace the use of AI, they are also aware of how it can be misused for crime and to harm others," he said.
