Early August 2024, the Premier of Sarawak YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg revealed that Sarawak will have its first artificial intelligence (AI) centre.
Expected to be established the following year, the centre will focus on the research, development and commercialisation of the frontier technology, including generative AI.
This is also one of the initiatives that the State is pursuing in leveraging the latest technology to boost its digital economy and overall socio-economic progress.
As part of Strategic Pillar Five – Foundation for Digital Economy – under Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030, the setting up of an AI-focused research and innovation centre is a key measure in accelerating research, innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation. Its goals, the blueprint states, are:
- To establish advanced metabolomics, proteomics, phenotyping and genotyping laboratories;
- To develop AI-assisted data mining techniques for natural product discovery; and
- To promote and foster innovation and multidisciplinary research through good practices and partnerships.
The initiative focuses on enhancing current data repository through the identification of critical value data for big data analytics and the advancement of AI-driven natural product discovery.
It is expected to produce research and development (R&D) propelled by the technology that can in turn expedite the generation of local talents in data analytics and robotics.
AI Research an Ongoing Endeavour
As it continues to change the way people live and work, AI with its broad-ranging capabilities can provide practical solutions for countries around the world to tackle societal challenges, transition to a more sustainable approach to development, and possibly reevaluate the state of their environment, society and governance.
Therefore, research in the technology is necessary, whether in terms of itself, its usage in field works or its potential in driving innovation in countless of industries. It has been taking place since the 1950s, with no intention of slowing down.
In Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2023 published by Stanford University, the number of publications of AI has been growing from 200,000 in 2010 to nearly 500,000 in 2021, with popular AI fields of study including pattern recognition, machine learning, computer vision, algorithm and data mining.
While the United States and China dominate research in the technology, other nations have been keeping pace to remain scientifically competitive and progressive.
In Malaysia, several tertiary institutions have established research groups dedicated to artificial intelligence, such as Universiti Malaya, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and University of Notthingham, Malaysia.
Another national university that has its own AI research group is Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). The group has been exploring ways to build AI solutions for multidisciplinary research in various fields through scientific approaches.
It envisions the advancement of knowledge towards sustainable communities by pioneering new frontiers in the technology; generating talents with expertise in AI through undergraduate and postgraduate research; and promoting collaboration within the group as well as with other universities and industries.
Researchers in the group are experts in natural language processing, machine learning, semantic technologies, data science, and agent modelling and simulation, and have thus far carried out R&D projects in education, health, and language and culture.
In relation, UNIMAS launched its AI Hub in July 2024. With the aim of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among academic staff and enhance their capacity to secure AI-related research grants, the launch highlights the university’s commitment to incorporating and developing AI across all facets of its teaching and learning culture.
Reference:
Alexandra, L. (2024, August 8). AI Centre To Be Set Up Next Year. New Sarawak Tribune. https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/ai-centre-to-be-set-up-next-year/
Artificial Intelligence (AI): What it is and why it matters. (n.d.). SAS. https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/analytics/what-is-artificial-intelligence.html
CALM Unimas. (2024, July 11). UNIMAS Launches AI Hub, Seminar on AI in Higher Education. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) is thrilled to announce the successful [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=803600965279943&id=100068901412574&_rdr
Nestor Maslej, Loredana Fattorini, Erik Brynjolfsson, John Etchemendy, Katrina Ligett, Terah Lyons, James Manyika, Helen Ngo, Juan Carlos Niebles, Vanessa Parli, Yoav Shoham, Russell Wald, Jack Clark, and Raymond Perrault, “The AI Index 2023 Annual Report,” AI Index Steering Committee, Institute for Human-Centered AI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, April 2023.
The Sarawak Government. (2023). Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030. Economic Planning Unit Sarawak. https://www.sma.gov.my/web/attachment/show/?docid=amI0Y1FsaWo5MFp6ZWdwMG5rL242UT09OjrW9vijjeXQPzhr0B0hGIo7
UNIMAS Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology. (n.d.). Artificial intelligence. UNIMAS. https://www.fcsit.unimas.my/research/research-area/artificial-intelligence
