The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Bill is scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat early next year, with the proposed law covering AI safety, fundamental rights and individual well-being.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the Government was adopting a risk-based approach in drafting the Bill, with the level of controls and obligations determined by the potential harm posed by an AI system rather than its industry classification alone.
“The Bill is formulated as a cross-sector framework that complements existing sectoral laws,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Gobind was responding to a question from Kubang Pasu MP Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail on the Government’s position on global calls to slow AI development to allow regulations, ethical safeguards and worker protection plans to be put in place.
He said the government recognised that emerging technologies could have significant impacts on the economy, society and public administration, but their development must be accompanied by stronger capabilities to manage associated risks.
“For increasingly powerful and autonomous AI systems that have the potential to significantly affect people or critical systems, safety controls, testing, monitoring, human oversight and response mechanisms must be strengthened before their use is expanded.
“Priority will always be given to safety to ensure that risks associated with the use of this technology remain under control,” he said.
Gobind said the Ministry of Digital and AI Malaysia Bhd had also established the Malaysia AI Safety Institute to study mechanisms for regulating the deployment of AI models across sectors.
He said the institute would focus on AI governance, including safety benchmarking, risk assessment and incident reporting for corrective action.
