KUCHING: Sarawak’s AI Blueprint must be built on transparency, data integrity and cross-sector participation.
Deputy State Secretary (Economic Planning and Development) Datuk Seri Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel described artificial intelligence as a permanent pillar of the state’s economic growth, saying Sarawak had no choice but to embrace the technology and should do so through careful planning.
He said in his keynote address at the Sarawak AI Blueprint Kick-Off Journey workshop, held at Sheraton Hotel here, today.
Muhammad Abdullah drew a comparison to PwC’s earlier facilitation of Sarawak’s Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030, which was launched in 2021 following a similar workshop process during the pandemic.
He said the blueprint would ultimately be shaped by workshop participants rather than officials on stage, describing their feedback as the foundation of a roadmap that was meant to deliver economic prosperity and public good.
On the conditions needed for AI adoption to succeed, Muhammad Abdullah pointed to digital infrastructure and human capital as the two central enablers, stressing that both had to be embraced across industry players, academia and community groups rather than confined to government alone.
He placed particular emphasis on data integrity, using the “garbage in, garbage out” principle to argue that AI systems are only as reliable as the data fed into them.
He said data should be human-centric and of high quality, while acknowledging that many organisations are hesitant to share valuable data due to security concerns.
“Data will be obsolete after a very short span of life.
“No matter how you value your data so much, at the end of the day you will lose out, because data evolve over time, changes over time,” he said, arguing that collaboration ultimately produces better outcomes than working in silos.
Muhammad Abdullah also called for the blueprint’s framework to be transparent, saying transparency would ensure equitable participation among stakeholders and that the process should not carry any hidden agenda.
He referenced separate remarks by Sarawak’s Premier on the state’s ambition for an “AI dream” — a vision he said would reduce future dependence on large-scale data centres — and said this would form part of the broader AI strategy now being developed.
