SIG on Machine Learning

The ASM Special Interest Group on Machine Learning (SIGML) tasked to formulate a position paper on the “Setting the Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) Agenda for Homegrown Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions for Common Good”. This paper highlights the important role AI will play in Malaysia’s development and proposes key policy and strategy recommendations that may take the nation on a fast trajectory of adoption and deployment. An accelerated and wide-ranging initiative for adoption and deployment is urgently needed, given the breadth and depth of AI’s rising impact on contemporary society.

The position paper calls for the deployment of AI by capitalizing on the expertise already available within the local academic, research and industry community for research and development (R&D) in science and technology (S&T) to produce home-grown innovations. The position paper calls for the following recommendations to build the necessary ecosystem for home-grown AI solutions:

1. To call for a strategic National STI-focused AI Roadmap to shift Malaysia to a new way of looking at knowledge through AI for economic and social benefits.
2. To propose the establishment of a National AI Committee to coordinate all national level STI related AI projects under the auspices of the National Science Council (NSC).
3. To institute a national Data Czar role and data governance framework to ensure an enabling data ecosystem for enhanced accessibility to non-sensitive public and private data towards value creation.
4. To establish an “AI Makerspace” that would leverage existing collaborative platforms to develop home-grown AI solutions in the four identified focus areas: (i) Smart Cities, (ii) Digital Manufacturing, (iii) Precision Agriculture & (iv) Connected Healthcare.
5. To equip Malaysia’s talent pool with competencies and skill sets to deploy AI technology and applications.

An enabling STI ecosystem is needed to ensure the successful adoption and deployment of AI and ML technologies. The position paper also proposes pilot projects in the focus areas such as Smart Cities, Digital Manufacturing, Precision Agriculture and Connected Healthcare. These four focus areas were selected based on their level of connectivity, presence of existing national digitalization efforts and their potential for growth. With the exception of Precision Agriculture, the three focus areas have a strong digital foundation that can enable the move towards adopting AI. The selection of Precision Agriculture as a focus area was due to the need for Malaysia to address the digital gap in the agriculture sector so that AI and ML could be deployed and improve the growth of the sector. Even though AI applications extend beyond the four focus areas, within the short-term, these focus areas present the best areas to rapidly adopt AI and ML technologies.

At a Glance

Chair: YM Academician Tengku Datuk Dr Mohd
Azzman Shariffadeen FASc