Budget 2026 To Boost Malaysia's Digital, AI Ecosystem, Says Gobind

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said allocations and initiatives in Budget 2026 would focus on turning Malaysia into an "AI nation". NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM

 Malaysia is strengthening its position as a nation with a robust digital and artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem to attract new investments, including in autonomous vehicles.

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the government's commitment would be reflected in Budget 2026, which is to be tabled on Oct 10.

"We are going to see autonomous vehicular activity expanding beyond cars," he said, adding that this included robotics and drones.

"The idea is to start thinking about governance, so that when you have autonomous vehicle activity, there are structures in place to ensure that it's safe," he said in his keynote address at the Asean Artificial Intelligence Business Summit 2025.

The minister said allocations and initiatives in Budget 2026 would focus on turning Malaysia into an "AI nation" and advancing government technology initiatives.

He said the government was in discussions with the Road Transport Department and other stakeholders about a regulatory framework and ecosystem before rolling out autonomous vehicles.

Gobind added that Malaysia was aiming to capitalise on Asean's digital economy, which is projected to have a combined GDP of over US$1 trillion by 2030.

The minister said this national ambition was strengthened by Malaysia's position within Southeast Asia, which is a "collective AI powerhouse with a rapidly expanding digital economy".

He urged businesses to embrace rapid technological advancements to ensure Malaysia is not left behind by its global counterparts.

Gobind also said the Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy document, which addresses future technological challenges, would be launched by the end of the year.

Source: www.nst.com.my