The Selangor state government is currently looking into building its own artificial intelligence (AI) model to avoid over-reliance on foreign AI platforms. This is according to state executive councillor for Islam and innovation Dr Fahmi Ngah, who stated that adoption of the technology must be approached with caution and pragmatism to ensure the state is not overly dependent on a single platform or solution.
This comes after Google announced a programme called AI at Work 2.0 that allows civil servants to have access to generative AI tools through Google Workspace with the Gemini AI suite. The adoption of the suite is free for the government until 2028.
Dr Fahmi explained that whichever model the government uses, the data being fed to the AI is local data, which is why he wants to develop local AI models specifically for government use using government data. “We would maintain it and have our own infrastructure rather than just being a user,” he said.
Coincidentally, the Sarawak state government also announced earlier this week that it was interested in developing a local AI model called DeepSar. The name is inspired by the recent success of China’s DeepSeek model, with Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg wanting DeepSar to feature unique content from the state.
(Source: Selangor Journal)
