AI Untuk Rakyat

AI Untuk Rakyat (Malay for "AI for the People") is Malaysia's free national artificial intelligence literacy programme. Launched on 16 January 2024 by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Universiti Putra Malaysia, it offers self-paced online courses that introduce artificial intelligence to the general public, and reached more than one million completions within six months — far ahead of its original one-year target.^[1][2]

History

The programme was developed as a collaboration between the Malaysian government and Intel as technology partner, coordinated through the Malaysia Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution hosted by MyDIGITAL Corporation, an agency under the Ministry of Digital. At its launch, then Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli described it as a step to close the digital literacy gap, and Intel Malaysia's managing director framed AI as a bridge to opportunity for Malaysians of all backgrounds.^[1] The curriculum was delivered through the ai.gov.my portal in four languages — Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil — with talkback support for visually impaired users and free access through community centres such as the NADI network under MCMC, which brought the material to rural areas. By 5 June 2024 the government announced that over one million Malaysians had completed the programme in less than six months, crediting whole-of-government participation: the Public Service Department reported 100 per cent completion among its staff, and the Ministry of Education encouraged participation across schools.^[2] The programme continues to be promoted by the National AI Office alongside newer initiatives, and in August 2026 the Ministry of Digital's Rakyat Digital platform opened a further phase for Malaysians aged 18 to 30, offering three months of free subscriptions to leading AI tools to 100,000 young people who complete six prescribed courses.^[3][4]

Programme Design

AI Untuk Rakyat centres on two modules: AI Aware, which introduces what artificial intelligence is, where it is used and corrects common misconceptions, and AI Appreciate, which covers applications and impact across industries. The material takes roughly four hours of self-paced study, includes activities and quizzes that can be retaken freely, and awards two digital badges that participants can share. Four-language delivery, accessibility features and community-centre access were deliberate design choices to serve students, working adults, senior citizens and rural communities alike.^[1][3]

Impact and Follow-on Initiatives

The programme is best understood as the awareness layer of Malaysia's wider AI talent push. The National AI Office lists related efforts alongside it: AI For MY Future, a Microsoft initiative targeting 800,000 Malaysians; AI-Ready Malaysia, led by Pepper Labs with support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank, aiming to equip 50,000 people with job-ready skills; MyMahir, TalentCorp's skills platform; and the AI Ethics for Kids series teaching responsible AI principles to children. Together these programmes support the government's AI Nation agenda, pairing mass awareness with deeper technical training.^[3]

>See Also

• National AI Office
• MyDIGITAL Blueprint
• Malaysia AI Talent
• AI Literacy
• MDEC