KUALA LUMPUR: To achieve its ambition to become an AI Nation by 2030, Malaysia must develop the capability to build, adopt and govern technology responsibly, strengthen the innovation ecosystem, create opportunities for local companies and talent, and to ensure that the value generated by the digital economy contributes meaningfully to the country’s development.
Digital Deputy Minister Datuk Wilson Ugak Anak Kumbong said an AI nation must be a secure nation.
“AI depends on data. Data depends on infrastructure. Infrastructure depends on security. And ultimately, the willingness of people and businesses to participate in the digital economy depends on trust.
“Remove trust from that equation, and the entire proposition becomes considerably weaker. This is why digital transformation cannot be pursued separately from digital trust and security.
“They are not competing priorities. They are mutually dependent. As Malaysia advances its AI agenda, the same principle must guide how we build our digital infrastructure, govern data and strengthen our cybersecurity capabilities,” he told delegates at the opening of Cyber Digital Services, Defence and Security Asia Exhibition and Conference (CyberDSA 2026) today.
To accelerate AI adoption, Wilson said, Malaysia must build technological capability, not merely access others’ capabilities.
“Digital sovereignty does not mean closing ourselves off from the world. Malaysia benefits enormously from global technology, international investment and cross-border collaboration, and we will continue to welcome them.
“We must strengthen our ability to protect strategic data. We must develop Malaysian talent and companies capable of participating higher up the technology value chain. And we must build infrastructure that gives Malaysia greater resilience and greater agency over its digital future,“ he said, while elaborating on the government’s increasing emphasis on data sovereignty, trusted infrastructure and domestic AI capability in working towards AI Nation 2030.
Wilson said the proposed Sovereign AI Cloud is one part of this effort, laying the foundation for secure and sovereign AI infrastructure while enabling innovation and AI applications at scale.
Sovereignty ultimately comes from capability – the ability to build, understand, secure, govern, and improve the systems on which Malaysia depends, he added.
Furthermore, Wilson shared that Malaysia is developing its proposed AI Governance Bill through a consultative and risk-based approach, with the objective of providing greater clarity and protection without unnecessarily constraining innovation.
“We are complementing this with work on AI standards and safety, including MY-AI Standards and the Malaysia AI Safety Institute under AI Malaysia. These initiatives share a common objective: to make trust part of the architecture of Malaysia’s AI development, rather than something we attempt to restore after it has been lost.
“The principle is simple – if we want Malaysians and businesses to embrace AI with confidence, safety and trust must be built into the technology from the beginning,“ Wilson said.
Touching on cybersecurity, the deputy minister remarked that cybersecurity is not only a technology issue but an economic issue.
“Resilience cannot be added after deployment. Security must be designed into the systems we build from the beginning.
“This requires government, regulators, infrastructure operators, technology companies and cybersecurity professionals to work much more closely together.
“This is where CyberSecurity Malaysia plays an important role. It supports the national cybersecurity ecosystem through incident response, technical expertise, capacity building, professional development, public awareness, and collaboration with industry and other key stakeholders,“ he said.
On a regional perspective, Wilson said as Asean becomes more digitally integrated, the collective resilience will increasingly depend on closer cooperation in areas such as AI safety, cybersecurity, information sharing and capacity building.
He pointed out that early this year, Asean finalised the establishment of the Asean AI Safety Network, with Kuala Lumpur selected to host its secretariat.
This gives Malaysia an important opportunity to help shape the region’s approach to safe, trusted and responsible AI, he said.
“But governments cannot do this alone. Much of the technology driving our digital economy is developed, deployed and operated by industry. Government must provide clarity and the right enabling environment, while industry must build security, resilience and responsibility into the technologies and systems it develops.
“This is also why collaboration matters. Whether through government, industry, academia or international partners, we need to share knowledge, develop capabilities and build trusted relationships before a crisis occurs, not only after one.
“Our resilience is ultimately strengthened by the quality of the ecosystem we build together,“ Wilson said.
The three-day CyberDSA 2026 brings together leaders and professionals across the cyber and digital security ecosystem.
Under the theme “Advancing Secure AI, Strengthening Digital Trust, and Safeguarding Data Sovereignty,” the 2026 edition will explore the opportunities, challenges and strategic priorities defining the next era of cybersecurity.
