Digital Ministry hopes Budget 2027 will make AI tools more affordable and accessible, helping Malaysian businesses and MSMEs boost productivity
PETALING JAYA: The Digital Ministry hopes Budget 2027 will include measures to make artificial intelligence (AI) tools more affordable for industries.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said affordability, access and adoption are among the key measures to ensure businesses benefit from the growing availability of AI technologies.
He said the government could play a role in facilitating greater access to AI by introducing appropriate measures to make the technology more accessible and affordable to businesses.
“We are able to make AI tools more affordable for industries because what is important is for us to understand what technology exists.
“So, the question here is how do governments assist in this process? So we put in certain suggestions and I think that is something that we are looking at (in Budget 2027),” he told reporters after the Malaysia Digital Xceleration (MDX) Forum here today.
The minister also said the need to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) leverage technology, particularly AI to improve their businesses and enhance productivity.
“The other thing is how we can ensure that MSMEs are able to use technology to their advantage and to transform their businesses using new technologies, particularly AI.
“I have asked the government to look at ways and means by which we can actually encourage businesses to pivot and change and to adopt AI and new technologies so that they can improve further,” he said.
On other proposals submitted for Budget 2027, he said there were several additional areas under consideration but declined to elaborate, leaving the final decision to the Finance Ministry.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, is scheduled to table Budget 2027 at the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 9.
