KUCHING, May 26 – Artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword that can be both beneficial in daily life and misused, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the technology, particularly through generative AI, is capable of performing tasks never imagined before, presenting a significant challenge for humankind.
He noted that speeches can be altered to serve specific agendas or causes.
“Like now, I am speaking to you in English, but through Al, it can be translated into any language like Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, or even Spanish in real-time. The image can also be adjusted with your lips as if speaking in that language.
“The problem is whether the content is real because generative Al can manufacture other facts within real content. This is a real challenge. Al will determine humankind, how we live, govern and interact,“ he said in his speech at the Sarawak Media Conference (SMEC) 2024 here on Sunday.
The two-day conference, themed “Media Evolution in the Digital Era,“ kicks off today with the participation of around 600 local and international attendees.
SMEC 2024 is held in conjunction with the National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) 2024, which runs for three days from yesterday and will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.
HAWANA 2024 is attended by about 1,000 media practitioners from Malaysia and 11 other countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Brunei, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Qatar.
This central gathering of Malaysian journalists is organised by the Communications Ministry in collaboration with the Sarawak state government, with the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) being the implementing agency.
