Realising an AI nation
Malaysia has stark AI ambitions, marked by policy directions in the 13th Malaysia Plan, the third phase of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint and an AI Action Plan 2026-2030. AI is designed to be interactive, reactive and intelligent; thus capable of inflicting biological and psychological changes to the human being, which will inevitably reverberate across society. Furthermore, these technologies are developed in several locus of power, which will create forms of digital colonisation that challenges governance, sovereignty goals and national development aims.
At the heart of the programme, the AI conference seeks to unpack the AI nation beyond 2030. We invite participants to imagine a future where humanity has augmented with machine intelligence, and ask of the values, equitable development and policy structures that they hope to see, which must be inculcated today. In the quest to realise an AI nation, ISIS Malaysia is pleased to organise a conversation that seeks to think beyond the application of technology, and seek the potential safeguards needed for safe deployment and meaningful contribution of artificial intelligence to society and the world.
Day 1 – Site visits (12 October 2026)
Eric Du
Board Director
Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications
Huawei Malaysia
- DNB My5G Portal
- Huawei AI Lab and Innovation Centre
- DNB My5G Portal
- Huawei AI Lab and Innovation Centre
Mohammad Khaidyr bin Abdul Rahman
Head
Business Solutions & Delivery
Digital Nasional Berhad
| Date | 12 October 2026 |
| Time | 0830-1215 |
| Venue | Level Lobby, Menara Exchange 106 |
Day 2 – Conference (13 October 2026)
Opening remarks
Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah
Executive Chairman
ISIS Malaysia
Keynote address I
YB Tuan Steven Sim Chee Keong
Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development
A Centre for Responsible Technology session
AI governance is caught at a crossroads. On approach focuses on assigning liability to operators, processors and trainers. Another seeks to increase accountability within AI systems themselves, whether through design choices or course of interaction. For society, the prospect of sentient AI could intensify existing tensions around jobs, technology overreach and control over decision-making.
- What are the prospects for sentience in AI systems?
- What governance and security responses would be appropriate to balance the promise and perils of sentient AI?
- Can there be greater responsibility on AI systems to improve response against harms?
- Are there means to futureproof ethical obligations and responsibility in the current and future age of AI?
Moderator
Harris Zainul
Director of Research
ISIS Malaysia
Speaker
Prof Fu Hongyu
Director of AI Governance Centre
Alibaba Research Institute
In the present landscape, technologies are innovated and built by a select few. This could lock ecosystems into forms of colonisation where digitally illiterate and innovation-poor nations are preyed on by machines and developers. Additionally, gaps between resource-rich nations and developing nations would widen as knowledge and innovation are circulated among allies and in alliances. At the end of the day, questions on sovereignty would remain, whether the nation could preserve governance and control for the betterment of their societies or global societies.
- What should developing nations and middle powers be concerned with on the new form of technology dominance?
- How does digital colonisation impact on innovation ambitions?
- How could the impact of digital colonisation be mitigated, especially if labour and natural resources are traditional trade-offs in economic sectors?
- What are governance efforts and platforms needed today to strengthen resilience for the technological impact?
Moderator
Farlina Said
Director
ISIS Malaysia
Speakers
Dr Ikseon Kang
Principal Researcher
Korea Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (K-AISI)
Khalil Nooh
Chief Executive Officer
Mesolithica
Danny Yap
Director of Business & Network Consulting
Huawei APAC
Dr Stefan Bächtold
Lecturer
Monash University
Malaysia
YB Liew Chin Tong
Deputy Minister of Finance
AI systems are increasingly positioned as neutral, authoritative “voices of reason” in decision-making, mediation, and information synthesis. Yet, such systems could substitute human judgement, interpret history and be granted disproportionate authority across domains such as conflict resolution, healthcare, governance, and public discourse.
- How would AI impact socio-economic trends such as aging, shifting demographics, belonging and decentralisation of powers? Could uneven deployment of AI affect social cohesion?
- How does the AI’s design such as algorithmic deference, sycophancy, and the “superhuman myth” reshape trust, autonomy, and accountability when humans lower their critical scrutiny of machine-generated reasoning?
- What is potential impact of AI’s epistemic authority on the Malaysian society?
- Could there be safeguards in place to preserve human agency, critical thinking, and ethical judgment in an era where AI increasingly speaks with the voice of reason?
Moderator
Nabila Hussain
Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy
Microsoft
Speakers
Vinorra Shaker
Head of the School of Psychology
Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU)
Jason Wee
Executive Director
Architects of Diversity (AOD)
Prof Andrew Campbell
Chair of Cyberpsychology Research Group
University of Sydney
Australia
AI has become a catalyst for national development, with countries crafting AI strategies to leverage on its industry and developmental promises. Governance of the technology require international collaboration, be it for the development of hardware or the production of platforms. Yet governance of systems developed outside domestic ecosystems can be challenging, especially as nations aim to spur innovation yet remain competitive in the midst of technological transformation.
- What are a nation’s priorities for international engagements in their respective AI strategies?
- Does the absence of binding, coordinated AI safety governance weaken the region’s ability to exercise sovereignty over technologies that increasingly shape economic, social and security outcomes?
- Why do technology companies publicly resist binding rules while privately seek regulatory certainty and cross-border alignment, and how can ASEAN, along with dialogue partners, convert this dynamic into collective leverage rather than fragmented compliance?
- How should Malaysia contribute or lead in AI safety governance and what should be prioritised?
Moderator
Samantha Khoo
Researcher, Cyber and Technology Policy
ISIS Malaysia
Speakers
Rohit Kumar
Managing Director
RiskAI Technologies GmbH
Darmain Segaran
Manager
AI Malaysia Berhad
Dr Tan Jun-E
Senior Research Associate
Khazanah Research Institute
Calvin Woo
Director
Malaysia Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (MYCentre4IR)
MyDIGITAL Corporation
