Artificial intelligence may be transforming the world, but a fundamental question remains for countries racing to embrace it: who actually gets to use it?

Malaysia wants the answer to be everyone.

The government ' s AI Untuk Rakyat programme targets 100,000 Malaysians aged 18 to 30, offering those who complete prescribed AI training three months ' free access to selected artificial intelligence applications.

Announcing the initiative in conjunction with the 2026 National Day celebrations, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said participants would gain access to Malaysian and international AI platforms, including home-grown ILMUchat, Google ' s Gemini Enterprise and China ' s WonderClip and MuleRun.

But the bigger story is not three months of free AI. It is about narrowing the divide between Malaysians who understand and use the technology and those who risk being left behind.

FROM AWARENESS TO ADOPTION

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has framed the challenge around three words: awareness, access and adoption.

" Knowing that technology exists is not enough," Gobind said. " If there is no access, it creates a problem because people know the technology is available but cannot use it." And access alone is insufficient. " After that, we need to ensure Malaysians actually use the technology. That is where adoption comes in," Gobind added.

Participants must first complete designated learning modules covering areas including generative AI, agentic AI, AI security, cybersecurity and cloud technology.

Gobind has described Rakyat Digital as providing pathways that take Malaysians " from understanding AI, to using it, and ultimately, to building

with it ".

BUILDING THE SKILLS PIPELINE

The initiative is part of a much bigger digital learning ecosystem.

From Sep 16, Malaysians are expected to gain access to more than 16,000 courses and professional certifications through Coursera, offered in cohorts of 25,000 every three months under a government-funded Global Learning Pass.

An AI Builders Hub is also expected to give Malaysians opportunities to experiment with AI and develop their own applications and solutions.

That matters because AI is increasingly becoming a workplace issue rather than simply a technology story.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan warned that the change is already happening.

" AI, automation and digitalisation are no longer things of the future, but are already part of today ' s job market," Ramanan said.

Providing young Malaysians with AI access, he added, was an investment in ensuring local talent remained relevant as the global employment landscape changed.

A MALAYSIAN AI

Alongside global platforms, participants are being given access to ILMUchat Pro, developed by YTL AI Labs around Malaysian language and context.

YTL AI Labs CEO Foong Chee Mun sees the objective going beyond consumption.

" We look forward to empowering this generation not just to use AI, but to become the builders and contributors who define Malaysia ' s AI future," he said.

That ambition goes to the heart of Malaysia ' s goal of becoming an AI Nation by 2030.

Data centres, cloud infrastructure and investment may provide the foundations, but an AI nation ultimately needs people capable of putting the technology to productive use.

That is the real test for AI Untuk Rakyat.

Giving 100,000 young Malaysians access is a start. What matters is whether they emerge simply as better users of AI— or as workers, entrepreneurs and creators capable of using it to generate economic value.

Making AI accessible is the first step. Making Malaysians AI-capable is the bigger prize. – @ green