Malaysia’s AI Nation plan by 2030 — how the government is preparing its people

The Malaysian government aims to make the nation AI-ready by 2030, focusing on job creation, digital literacy, and public sector adaptation to AI.

Initiatives like Jelajah AI MyMahir and AI Untuk Rakyat are designed to reskill workers and educate citizens, targeting various demographics for widespread AI literacy.

The government plans to introduce an AI Governance Bill and expand learning platforms, balancing AI adoption with safeguards in areas such as education and data protection.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — On a daily basis we wake up to check our mobile phones for the quickest route to work using a navigation application, then perhaps proceed to clear out filtered spam emails.

At lunch, a food delivery application recommends restaurants, while an online shopping platform suggests products based on what you have previously viewed.

At home, someone managing a household might use artificial intelligence (AI) to prep a cooking recipe, order groceries or use a learning platform to help a child with homework.

Much of this may not feel like “artificial intelligence” at work, but the broader picture is clear — AI is no longer something so alien that Malaysians suddenly have to learn about or make drastic adjustments to accommodate it.

What is changing is how much more it is expected to become part of workplaces, schools, businesses and government services.

That is why the government is looking at preparing the country to become an “AI nation” by 2030, ensuring its citizens are equipped to understand it, adapt to it and be protected from the risks that come with the technology.

So what is the government doing to prepare Malaysians for that future?

A changing work environment

One of the biggest concerns surrounding AI is what it could mean for jobs.

Under the National AI Action Plan 2026–2030, Malaysia is targeting the creation of over 300,000 jobs attributable to AI by 2030.

Separately, the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint 2030 sets a target of 700,000 workers being re-skilled and up-skilled, and 80 per cent of the population becoming digitally literate by 2030.

The distinction matters: creating AI-related jobs does not necessarily mean preparing existing workers for changes to their current roles.

That is where initiatives such as Jelajah AI MyMahir come in.

The programme, run by TalentCorp under the Human Resources Ministry targets students, workers, jobseekers, entrepreneurs, homemakers and senior citizens.

Running the programme is part of efforts to provide safeguards for an estimated 685,000 Malaysian workers who could be significantly affected by AI over the next three to five years if reskilling and upskilling efforts are not intensified.

This does not mean 685,000 jobs will disappear, rather, it refers to workers whose roles or tasks may change and who will need to learn how to adapt.

Basic digital and AI literacy

For many Malaysians, the starting point is understanding how digital and AI tools work — and how to use them safely.

The Digital Ministry’s Rakyat Digital platform provides free foundational learning in areas including AI, cybersecurity, cloud technology, blockchain and generative AI.

Its AI-related courses include AI Fluency and Introduction to AI.

The platform offers learning in Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil, with features including dyslexia-friendly content.

As part of the government’s inclusion efforts, it has identified groups such as rural communities, senior citizens, youth, persons with disabilities and micro, small and medium enterprises.

This matters because being connected does not automatically mean one is digitally literate, or knows how to assess an AI-generated answer, protect personal information, identify a scam or understand how an automated system may affect them.

The original programme, launched in 2024, was designed as a self-learning course for people from different backgrounds, including students, professionals, stay-at-home parents and senior citizens.

It introduced basic AI concepts through two sections — AI Aware and AI Appreciate — and takes about four hours to complete and is available in four languages.

A newer version was announced in August 2026 under Rakyat Digital, which is specifically aimed at younger Malaysians.

It targets 100,000 Malaysians aged 18 to 30 through 2027, with the programme available through Rakyat Digital from August 31.

Participants must complete and pass six modules:

Those who complete the required modules can receive three months of free access to selected AI applications and software.

Initial providers include YTL AI Labs, Alibaba and Google, with access including tools such as IlmuChat, Wonderclip, MuleRun and Gemini Enterprise.

That is an important distinction: free AI learning does not mean free access to every AI tool.

What about Malaysians outside these target groups

There is no single programme that prepares every Malaysian in exactly the same way — a 25-year-old could access the youth-focused AI Untuk Rakyat initiative; a civil servant could be covered by AI at Work 2.0; while a worker, entrepreneur, homemaker or retiree could participate in Jelajah AI MyMahir.

For the wider public, Rakyat Digital provides a common entry point for basic digital and AI learning.

Something to note is that, AI readiness is not only about employment.

It also means knowing how to spot AI-generated misinformation, protect personal data, recognise scams and understand the limitations of AI-generated information.

The government is preparing itself too

Through AI at Work 2.0, launched in February 2025, the government partnered with Google Cloud to provide generative AI capabilities to 445,000 civil servants.

The programme covers practical uses such as drafting documents, summarising information, analysing data, streamlining workflows and preparing meeting notes.

About 200 Change Ambassadors from ministries and agencies were subsequently trained to help spread AI knowledge within the public sector.

It has also introduced Public Sector AI Adaptation Guidelines, covering areas such as ethics, responsibilities, risk management and ways for agencies to assess their readiness.

More recently, the Digital Ministry and Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched an AI Academy programme focused on AI for productivity and decision-making in the public sector.

Government services will in the future incorporate AI, for example, an agentic AI feature entered beta testing in August, allowing the system to understand a user’s request, plan actions and assist with completing tasks, subject to permissions and safeguards.

The rollout is being phased, with attention to safety, data privacy, accuracy, transparency, governance and human oversight.

Accessibility to learning programmes

The government has also announced a Global Learning Pass, whereby 100,000 Malaysians will receive three months of access to more than 16,000 Coursera courses and certifications, distributed through four cohorts of 25,000 participants, with the first cohort beginning on September 16, 2026.

Registration can be done via the Rakyat Digital website.

Another planned initiative, the Rakyat Digital AI Builders Hub, is expected to begin in October 2026, giving Malaysians a practical pathway to experiment with AI and develop solutions after completing foundational learning.

Addressing possible AI risks

The government is also building institutions and safeguards around AI rather than treating adoption as purely a technology issue.

A public consultation on the proposed AI Governance Bill was held from July 10 to August 1, 2026.

Other safeguards include:

However, Malaysia does not currently have a dedicated AI law.

The proposed legislation is intended to complement existing laws covering areas such as personal data protection, cybersecurity, copyright and online safety.

The Education Ministry issued its AI Literacy Guidelines 2026 in May, providing guidance for introducing AI literacy within the education system.

It hopes to convey a message: preparing Malaysians for AI cannot begin only when they enter the workforce.

Students will eventually enter workplaces where AI is likely to be more commonplace, while teachers will need to understand how to use AI appropriately and help students navigate its risks.

What does this mean for everyone

The government’s approach to AI readiness spans workplace skills, public digital literacy, education, government services and AI safety.

However, having programmes in place does not automatically mean every Malaysian is ready for AI.

Recognising this, the government is expanding its outreach through these initiatives, equipping more Malaysians with the skills they need to understand enough about it to adapt to changes, question what they encounter and protect themselves when necessary.

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马来西亚政府的目标是到 2030 年使该国做好迎接人工智能的准备，重点是创造就业机会、提高数字素养和促进公共部门适应人工智能。

Jelajah AI MyMahir 和 AI Untuk Rakyat 等计划旨在重新培训工人并教育公民，以不同人群为目标，普及人工智能知识。

政府计划推出人工智能治理法案，并扩大学习平台，在教育和数据保护等领域平衡人工智能的应用与保障措施。

吉隆坡，9月14日讯——我们每天醒来都会查看手机，使用导航应用程序查找上班的最快路线，然后可能还会清理过滤后的垃圾邮件。

午餐时间，外卖应用程序会推荐餐厅，而在线购物平台会根据你之前浏览过的商品推荐产品。

在家中，管理家务的人可能会使用人工智能 (AI) 来准备烹饪食谱、订购杂货或使用学习平台来帮助孩子做作业。

虽然其中很多方面可能感觉不像“人工智能”在发挥作用，但总体趋势很明确——人工智能不再是那么陌生的东西，以至于马来西亚人突然需要学习它或做出重大调整来适应它。

正在发生变化的是，人们期望它在工作场所、学校、企业和政府服务中发挥越来越重要的作用。

正因如此，政府正着眼于使国家在 2030 年前成为“人工智能国家”，确保其公民能够理解人工智能、适应人工智能，并免受该技术带来的风险。

那么，政府正在采取哪些措施来帮助马来西亚人为未来做好准备？

不断变化的工作环境

人工智能引发的最大担忧之一是它可能对就业产生的影响。

根据《2026-2030年国家人工智能行动计划》，马来西亚的目标是到2030年创造超过30万个与人工智能相关的就业岗位。

此外，《马来西亚数字经济蓝图 2030》设定了到 2030 年让 70 万名工人接受再培训和技能提升，并使 80% 的人口具备数字素养的目标。

区别很重要：创造与人工智能相关的工作岗位并不一定意味着让现有员工为他们当前角色的变化做好准备。

这正是 Jelajah AI MyMahir 等项目发挥作用的地方。

该计划由人力资源部下属的人才机构（TalentCorp）负责实施，目标人群包括学生、工人、求职者、企业家、家庭主妇和老年人。

实施该计划是为了保障约 68.5 万马来西亚工人的安全，如果不加大再培训和技能提升力度，这些工人在未来三到五年内可能会受到人工智能的严重影响。

这并不意味着 685,000 个工作岗位将会消失，而是指那些角色或任务可能会发生变化，需要学习如何适应的工人。

基本数字和人工智能素养

对许多马来西亚人来说，首先要了解数字和人工智能工具的工作原理，以及如何安全地使用它们。

数字部旗下的 Rakyat Digital 平台提供免费的基础学习课程，涵盖人工智能、网络安全、云计算、区块链和生成式人工智能等领域。

其人工智能相关课程包括人工智能基础和人工智能入门。

该平台提供马来语、英语、中文和泰米尔语的学习内容，并具有适合阅读障碍者的内容等特色。

作为政府包容性举措的一部分，政府已确定了农村社区、老年人、青年、残疾人和微型、小型和中型企业等群体。

这很重要，因为联网并不意味着一个人就具备数字素养，或者知道如何评估人工智能生成的答案、保护个人信息、识别诈骗或了解自动化系统可能对他们产生的影响。

该项目最初于 2024 年启动，旨在为来自不同背景的人们（包括学生、专业人士、全职父母和老年人）提供自学课程。

它通过“人工智能认知”和“人工智能欣赏”两个部分介绍了基本的人工智能概念，大约需要四个小时才能完成，并提供四种语言版本。

2026 年 8 月，Rakyat Digital 发布了新版本，专门面向年轻的马来西亚人。

该计划的目标是到 2027 年覆盖 10 万名 18 至 30 岁的马来西亚人，该计划从 8 月 31 日起可通过 Rakyat Digital 平台实施。

参与者必须完成并通过六个模块的考核：

完成必修模块的学生可获得三个月的指定人工智能应用和软件的免费使用权。

首批供应商包括杨忠礼人工智能实验室、阿里巴巴和谷歌，提供的工具包括 IlmuChat、Wonderclip、MuleRun 和 Gemini Enterprise 等。

这是一个重要的区别：免费的人工智能学习并不意味着可以免费使用所有的人工智能工具。

那么，这些目标群体之外的马来西亚人呢？

没有一个单一的计划能够以完全相同的方式为每个马来西亚人做好准备——25 岁的年轻人可以参加以青年为中心的 AI Untuk Rakyat 计划；公务员可以参加 AI at Work 2.0 计划；而工人、企业家、家庭主妇或退休人员可以参加 Jelajah AI MyMahir 计划。

对于广大公众而言，Rakyat Digital 提供了一个学习基础数字和人工智能的共同入口。

值得注意的是，人工智能准备不仅仅关乎就业。

这也意味着要知道如何识别人工智能生成的虚假信息、保护个人数据、识别诈骗以及了解人工智能生成信息的局限性。

政府也在做准备。

通过 2025 年 2 月推出的 AI at Work 2.0，政府与 Google Cloud 合作，为 445,000 名公务员提供生成式人工智能功能。

该程序涵盖了诸如起草文件、总结信息、分析数据、简化工作流程和准备会议记录等实际应用。

随后，来自各部委和机构的约 200 名变革大使接受了培训，以帮助在公共部门传播人工智能知识。

它还推出了公共部门人工智能适应指南，涵盖伦理、责任、风险管理以及各机构评估自身准备情况的方法等领域。

最近，数字部和亚马逊网络服务（AWS）联合推出了人工智能学院计划，重点关注人工智能在公共部门生产力和决策方面的应用。

未来政府服务将融入人工智能，例如，一项智能体人工智能功能已于 8 月进入 beta 测试阶段，该功能允许系统理解用户的请求、规划行动并协助完成任务，但需获得相应的权限和保障措施。

该方案将分阶段推出，并注重安全性、数据隐私、准确性、透明度、治理和人工监督。

学习项目的可及性

政府还宣布了一项全球学习通行证计划，10万名马来西亚人将获得三个月的时间，可以访问超过16000门Coursera课程和认证，这些课程和认证将分四批发放，每批25000名参与者，第一批将于2026年9月16日开始。

可通过 Rakyat Digital 网站进行注册。

另一项计划中的举措是“人民数字人工智能构建者中心”，预计将于 2026 年 10 月启动，为马来西亚人提供一条在完成基础学习后尝试人工智能并开发解决方案的切实途径。

应对人工智能可能带来的风险

政府也在围绕人工智能建立制度和保障措施，而不是将人工智能的应用视为纯粹的技术问题。

2026 年 7 月 10 日至 8 月 1 日，就拟议的人工智能治理法案举行了公众咨询。

其他保障措施包括：

然而，马来西亚目前还没有专门的人工智能法律。

拟议的立法旨在补充现有的法律，这些法律涵盖个人数据保护、网络安全、版权和在线安全等领域。

教育部于5月发布了《2026年人工智能素养指导方针》，为在教育系统中引入人工智能素养提供了指导。

它希望传达一个信息：让马来西亚人为人工智能做好准备不能仅仅从他们进入职场开始。

学生最终会进入人工智能可能更加普及的工作场所，而教师则需要了解如何正确使用人工智能，并帮助学生应对其风险。

这对每个人意味着什么

政府应对人工智能挑战的措施涵盖工作场所技能、公众数字素养、教育、政府服务和人工智能安全。

然而，制定相关计划并不意味着每个马来西亚人都已做好迎接人工智能的准备。

认识到这一点，政府正在通过这些举措扩大宣传范围，使更多马来西亚人掌握必要的技能，以便充分了解情况，适应变化，质疑遇到的情况，并在必要时保护自己。

前部长贾米尔·希尔明日将因朝圣基金局调查面临三项指控。

卫生部保证，在飞行医生服务暂停后，砂拉越农村地区的医疗保健服务仍将继续提供。

议会开放日吸引了创纪录的13368名参观者