KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Bill, which includes regulations on safety, human rights and individual welfare, is scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat early next year.

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the government is using a risk-based approach in drafting the bill.

He said the level of control and obligation will be assessed based on the potential harm of the AI system itself, rather than just the risk classification by industry.

"This bill is designed as a framework across all sectors, complementing existing sectoral laws," he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat Monday.

Gobind said this in response to Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail's (PN-Kubang Pasu) question regarding the government's stance on the global recommendation to slow down AI development to allow for regulations, ethics and worker protection plans to be prepared first.

Gobind said the government is aware of the potential of new technologies that can bring significant impact to the economy, society and national administration, but emphasised that the development of technology, including AI, must go hand in hand with the enhancement of the ability to control its risks.

"For increasingly powerful AI systems, autonomy, and the potential to have a significant impact on humans 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 aspects to ensure that the risks associated with the use of this technology are always controlled," he said.

According to Gobind, the government, through the Ministry of Digital and AI Malaysia Berhad, has also established the Malaysia AI Safety Institute to study a clear and systematic mechanism for regulating the application of AI models in cross-sector organisational operations.

"The Malaysian AI Safety Institute is specifically responsible for overseeing the governance aspects of AI, which include safety benchmarks, risk assessments, and incident reporting for necessary corrective actions," he added.

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