Malaysia Has Unique Opportunity For Early AI Adoption, Says Futurist

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has a unique opportunity for early artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, given its developing status and infrastructure that is still in progress compared with developed economies mostly run on large and matured systems with heavy investments.

Former OpenAI Go-To-Market head Zack Kass said developed countries, such as the United States, would require a more demanding and longer journey in rebuilding their existing infrastructure to accommodate AI.

“I think for a country (with) with the economy size of Malaysia, the advantage you have now is the agility. You can get an opportunity right now to sort of reimagine and reinvent a lot of the systems that are still pretty young,” he said at the Malaysia Digital Expo (MDX) 2023 here.

Kass was one of the panellists at the event’s Fireside Chat session titled “Digital Edge: Shifting the Economic Narrative” alongside Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil. 

The session was moderated by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mahadhir Aziz.

Kass opined that the quick adoption of AI would give Malaysia a substantial competitive advantage against the rest of the world, where many countries are opposed to or scared of this technology.

“It (AI) is here to stay, and it is going to be radical, and I think that the sooner you adopt this technology safely, the more effective the economy will be,” he added.

Earlier, Kass, who visited Malaysia in 2016, applauded the country’s economic expansion and stated that it is growing at an outpaced clip relative to the rest of the world. 

He attributed the improvement to the Malaysian spirit and underlying entrepreneurial efforts.

-- BERNAMA