17/04/2026

FRIDAY | APR 17, 2026

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Use of artificial intelligence surges across M’sian workplaces

PUTRAJAYA: A total of 299 pieces of fake content related to the global energy crisis have been taken down by social media platform providers so far, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He said the number was out of 450 pieces of fake content identified by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to be taken down from Mar 29 to 7am yesterday morning. “The take down rate is 66%. The rest are still in the process of being taken down by the platforms involved because taking down content takes some time at the platform level,”he told reporters after attending the Communications Ministry’s monthly assembly here yesterday. Also present were Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah and Bernama CEO Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin. Detailing the matter, Fahmi said 147 pieces of content related to the Strait of Hormuz had been requested to be taken down, with 122 of them taken down this morning. “The platform that spread the most false information was Facebook with 180 pieces of content involving various issues, while the second most was TikTok with 134 pieces of content.” Fahmi also said 57 investigation papers have been opened so far regarding the dissemination of false content related to the global energy crisis. – Bernama Fake content on energy crisis removed, says Fahmi Ministry seeks further details from UM over theatre scene CYBERJAYA: The Higher Education Ministry will obtain further details from Universiti Malaya (UM) over a scene from a theatre performance at the university that waswidelycirculatedonsocialmedia,said its Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. “I too saw it on social media. I will get more information from UM,” he told reporters after attending the launch of the University of Cyberjaya Digital Library Upgrading Ceremony yesterday. A theatre performance staged at UM allegedly had a scene with indecent elements, drawing mixed reactions from the public. UM, in a statement, issued an apology for the oversight and said it would not compromise on any violation of programme guidelines or regulations. It also said investigation found that the scene was not part of the original script and this constituted a clear violation of the competition rules, which stated that each performance must be free from negative elements, provocation or any content that could affect religious values, morals, ethics, culture and the university’s good name. – Bernama

government offices, with UiPath ranking among the country’s top three AI services. That suggests AI in Malaysia is no longer confined to chatbots and writing tools, but is also being used to help handle documents and streamline office workflows. Still, Flores said companies should not rush into using AI for everything at once. “Companies need to take this step by step. The use case must match the actual capability of the system, rather than expecting the technology to do everything at once.” The same briefing also found that many Malaysian organisations were feeling pressure to approve AI use despite security concerns, underlining how quickly AI is moving from curiosity to everyday workplace tool even as safeguards continue to catch up. The briefing also found 75% of Malaysian IT decision-makers and 70% of business leaders felt pressured to approve AI despite security concerns, while only 29% of business decision-makers felt very or extremely confident about legal frameworks. Flores said firms should not wait for regulations alone, but create internal rules early as adoption is moving faster than oversight in many organisations.

TrendAI data and technology research leader Ryan Flores said some of the clearest examples seen in Malaysia were in customer support and hiring. “The use cases we are seeing in Malaysia, such as AirAsia’s customer support chatbot and locally developed AI tools for HR and talent management, are relatively well matched to the current capabilities and safety tolerances of large language models,” Flores said. Flores said this during the Readiness vs. Reality: Why AI Adoption is Outpacing Security media briefing at their Malaysia branch office. He said AI was already useful in areas where the job was focused and clearly defined. “Using AI to support chat services is already a fairly stable use case at this stage. “Having AI review resumes and match them against job descriptions is also one of the more acceptable applications for organisations right now.” The briefing also pointed to a government angle. Flores said Malaysia appeared to be the only Southeast Asian country in the comparison showing notable use of AI to help automate routine work in

o From hiring to customer service, companies embed AI into daily operations, with data showing 22.8% of web traffic expanding beyond chat-based interaction

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

media briefing. ChatGPT was the most-used service, with a traffic score of 143. It was followed by Lovart AI (90), UiPath (64), Canva (44), ChatGLM (31), Dify (30), Grammarly (22), Botsonic (19) and AirAsia AI together with Microsoft Power Platform/AI Builder (17 each). The figures suggest that many workplaces are using AI for several simple and familiar purposes. Tools like ChatGPT and ChatGLM point to use in writing, summarising, research and general office work.

PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders are under no pressure to vote on the status of Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s faction within the coalition, as the group currently lacks recognition as a formal political party, said former Bersatu Supreme Council member Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan. The Tasek Gelugor MP said PN’s framework is built on party-based representation, meaning that any bid for coalition membership must come through a registered entity rather than a collection of individuals. “An unlikely scenario would be a vote on individuals. There must first be a registered party to formally apply to join PN,“ he said in a WhatsApp exchange with theSun. His remarks came in response to statements by Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who was quoted by a newsportal saying that senior figures from Bersatu, Pas, Gerakan and Malaysian Indian People Party would collectively decide through a vote whether Hamzah and his supporters could maintain ties with PN following his expulsion from Bersatu. Hamzah, who previously held the post of Bersatu deputy president, was removed from the party alongside several close allies, throwing their political standing and future coalition alignment into question. Wan Saiful emphasised that no formal announcement had been made and there was no need for urgency on his camp’s part. “At this point, there is nothing to rush. No formal announcement has KUALA Malaysian workplaces are using artificial intelligence (AI) for far more than simple queries or drafting emails. New findings presented by TrendAI show that businesses and organisations are deploying AI across a wide range of functions – including customer service, recruitment, design, writing support and everyday office tasks – signalling that the technology is fast becoming embedded in routine operations rather than remaining a novelty. TrendAI’s Malaysia data showed 22.8% of web traffic in the country was going to AI services, while 24.1% of devices were using them. Malaysia also recorded 77 different AI services, making it one of the more varied AI markets among the four countries compared at the LUMPUR: Ű BY IKHWAN ZULKAFLEE newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Lovart AI, Canva and Grammarly suggest AI is being used for designing visuals, preparing presentation materials and improving written content. UiPath and Botsonic, meanwhile, point to the growing use in customer service and administration office processes. ‘No urgency to act on ex-Bersatu deputy president faction’

Hamzah’s (in blue) removal from Bersatu has cast uncertainty over his political standing and that of his close allies, as well as their future coalition

alignment. – THESUN FILEPIC

exploring a takeover of an existing political party as he maps out his next steps following the split from Bersatu. The move is seen as a strategic approach to preserve organisational continuity for his faction and pave the way for a potential return to coalition politics. The identity of the said party has not yet been revealed.

Wan Saiful maintained that PN remains focused on its wider political goals and is not under any obligation to act quickly on the matter. “The process must follow proper channels. There is no necessity for PN leadership to convene or vote on this issue.” Reports suggest Hamzah is currently

been made and there is no urgency for us to make a decision.” He further noted that for Hamzah’s faction to be formally considered for PN membership, they would likely need to either establish a new political party or align themselves with an existing registered one before submitting any application.