Earlier in the month, digital minister Gobind Singh Deo said that the government is studying the impact of Chinese AI model DeepSeek on Malaysia. Things have taken quite the turn since then, as now Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof says that the AI model can both drive AI adoption locally as well as attract global investors to the country.
Bernama cites the DPM as saying that “By lowering barriers to AI adoption, DeepSeek empowers small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to integrate AI solutions into their operations, increasing productivity and global competitiveness”. He was quoted saying so at the Pan-Pacific AI Forum Malaysia.
DeepSeek made waves on the internet recently as it is claimed to be on par with Western competitors, but built at a fraction of the cost. It has perhaps inspired at least two efforts for home-grown AI model project. One specifically mentions the Chinese AI model as inspiration for its name, with the other effort to avoid over-reliance on foreign AI platforms.
On the flip side, other Chinese brands, from EV makers to smartphone companies are looking to integrate DeepSeek into their own products. BYD is one example of the former. As for the latter, HONOR has announced plans of integrating the AI model into its own in-house AI assistant, which is only available to users in its home market.
(Source: Bernama)
