SHAH ALAM, July 16 — Malaysia is on the right track to become a regional artificial intelligence (AI) hub, according to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Faculty of AI dean Prof Mohd Naz’ri Mahrin.
He said this is based on the latest International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) rankings, which put Malaysia 15th in the 2026 World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR), up 19 places from 2024.
He said this achievement reflects the country’s strengthening economy and improved government efficiency, including significant growth in the semiconductor industry and AI-related investments.
“Malaysia is not only ready at the Asean level, but also on the global stage,” he told Media Selangor.
Naz’ri said Switzerland-based IMD assesses an economy’s competitiveness by four factors, namely, economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.
He said Malaysia scored highly in three of the assessments, with only infrastructure efficiency needing improvements, especially in digitalisation and public facilities.
“This is being addressed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which aims to achieve 98 per cent of 5G network coverage in populated areas by 2030.”
IMD released the 2026 WCR on June 18, with Singapore taking top spot among 70 countries. Hong Kong, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates rounded out the top five.
On workers’ concerns over technological advancements, Naz’ri said AI would instead help create new jobs by 2030.
He said while 92 million jobs are expected to be displaced due to AI advancements, some 170 million new jobs would be created between 2025 and 2030, according to projections by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
“We should not worry, as long as we know how to seize these opportunities and equip ourselves with AI knowledge.
“Workers cannot afford to be complacent and must undertake upskilling immediately to ensure we do not fall behind. Do not just watch from the sidelines or fear technology. Embrace it and become part of the change.”
Naz’ri also urged the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) to ensure the National Higher Education Plan 2026-2035 helps the country produce AI talent.
He said the plan is vital to enhance graduate employability, transform the education ecosystem and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), while modernising digital infrastructure to address career challenges.
He also commended the government’s effort to recognise TVET as a mainstream pathway through the National TVET Policy 2030, which is expected to produce a larger pool of highly skilled workers.
“MOHE has made AI courses compulsory across all programme levels at higher learning institutions. Regardless of whether it is at diploma, undergraduate or postgraduate level, all students are required to take AI-related courses,” Naz’ri said.
