Government strategy, regulation, governance and the National AI Office.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told the Dewan Rakyat that the proposed AI Governance Bill is complete and will go to the Cabinet in the near future, with tabling planned by early 2027. According to Bernama, the bill would require those who develop, provide or use AI systems to take responsibility for identifying, assessing and managing risks.
Customs at Kuala Lumpur International Airport stopped an attempt to transit 30 servers containing advanced AI chips worth nearly RM49.5 million without authorisation. According to Malay Mail, citing Bernama, KLIA Customs director Aspalila Ag. Tuah said it is the fifth case this year involving the same syndicate, with seizures across all five exceeding RM100 million.
Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the government plans to draft a Digital Infrastructure (Data Centre) Bill for Cabinet submission next year, to regulate growth in line with energy and water supply capacity. According to the New Straits Times, citing Bernama, the National Economic Action Council chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to the proposal.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced 100,000 more free AI subscriptions for young people under Budget 2027, citing high demand, with the programme expanding to new apps such as ChatGPT. According to RinggitPlus, the budget also funds AI Malaysia Berhad and MDEC, and the government is planning a Sovereign AI Cloud.
Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told the UN General Assembly in New York on 26 September that the Global South must have a meaningful role in AI decisions and not merely host data centres. According to Bernama in The Star, he urged the UN to keep empowering these countries to take part in global AI discussions.
US AI firm Anthropic said it disrupted a commercial election-manipulation platform that used its Claude models to target voters across Malaysia, The Edge reported on 11 September. According to Anthropic's threat report, the network comprised roughly 1,000 fake X accounts, a fake news outlet and fabricated dossiers, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) denied any involvement.
The Digital Ministry has appointed Aireen Omar, former chief executive of AirAsia, as chair of the national agency AI Malaysia Bhd, according to a ministry statement reported by The Edge on 11 September. Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said AI Malaysia will be the lead agency coordinating the national AI agenda.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said in George Town on 10 September that Malaysia's draft AI Governance Bill is complete and will go to the Cabinet. According to Malay Mail, he hopes to table it this quarter or in the first quarter of next year, while the government sets up the structure to enforce it.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says growth in AI, data centres and the digital economy has not produced a matching rise in government revenue, despite creating jobs and technological capability. Speaking at the 2026 National Innovation and Commercialisation Expo in Kuala Lumpur, according to the New Straits Times, he called it "poor economics" to assume 6 per cent second-quarter growth means substantially more to spend.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo says the government will focus on expanding AI use in the 2027 Budget, due to be tabled in October, including ways to widen access to AI tools. He told reporters at the Petaling Jaya Startup Festival 2026, according to the New Straits Times, that AI Malaysia will need significant funding for expertise and infrastructure.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo says the MyGOV Malaysia app is being enhanced with agentic AI so that Malaysians can deal with government agencies online more easily. According to The Star, he said this when opening Jelajah Malaysia Digital at Dewan Komuniti Damansara Damai on 8 August.
Malaysia's Audit Oversight Board will make technology risk management an inspection focus in 2026 as audit firms use more AI. According to The Edge, its Annual Inspection Report 2025 expects firms to show strong governance, carry out full risk reviews and take steps to reduce those risks.
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