PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government was serious about digital transformation and would ensure the general public was aware of its initiatives to promote digital and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy.

“We have no choice but to get the general public to be fully aware of what I call digital literacy and AI literacy,” he told the media after launching the self-learning AI Untuk Rakyat programme at Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang today.

Anwar said the programme aimed to reach one million users by year-end.

It was reported Malaysia’s digital sector contributed a significant 23.2% to the gross domestic product, while the digital economy was set to contribute 25.5% to the country’s economy by 2025 and create up to 500,000 jobs.

Also present at the launch was Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.

Anwar called on civil servants and students to join AI Untuk Rakyat.

“This is an introduction to what digital technology and AI is all about and we have to compel students and civil servants to start (joining the programme),” he said.

AI Untuk Rakyat was launched in collaboration with semiconductor chip manufacturer Intel. – Bernama, January 16, 2024.