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Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

Monday, 25 August 2025

AI and job transformation in Malaysia: What's next?

 

Experts share that the impact of AI may be more nuanced than just simply replacing people at work. — This visual is human-created, AI-aided

In a discussion on an online forum, a freelance translator in Malaysia believes that he has fewer job opportunities now due to clients turning to AI.

Another individual in the same discussion claims that he was laid off due to his stance against using AI tools in the company.

In a separate conversation, a designer questioned whether he should resign as a sign of protest against his company’s increasing reliance on AI to generate content. Meanwhile, another user who handles accounting tasks at work says AI is taking over his role after the company adopted a new AI-powered processing system. He claims that the system has led to some colleagues being laid off and those who remain will be required to verify the work performed by AI.

In the comments section, other users have advised him to look for a new job elsewhere as he risks being replaced completely, or start showing more productivity in other aspects of his current work that cannot be done by AI.

These conversations found online reflect a growing concern among Malaysian workers as AI tools become a part of work.

Staying ahead

According to an Ipsos AI Monitor 2025 survey involving 500 Malaysian adults, 63% fear AI’s potential to replace their ­current job within the next three to five years.

“The fear of being replaced by AI is very real, and it’s completely valid,” says Edvance CEO Razin Rozman.

Fahad encourages employees to experiment with various generative AI tools to discover how they can boost productivity at work. — Randstad MalaysiaFahad encourages employees to experiment with various generative AI tools to discover how they can boost productivity at work. — Randstad Malaysia

Randstad Malaysia country director Fahad Naeem says findings from his company’s Malaysia Employer Brand research, which surveyed 2,588 respondents, show that 5% now expect to lose their jobs due to AI.

“Despite this, the overall sentiment towards AI remains largely positive, as 48% of Malaysian workers said that AI has improved their job satisfaction this year,” adds Fahad.

According to NTT Data CEO Henrick Choo, the best way to navigate the fear of being replaced by AI is to embrace lifelong learning and adaptability. He says that he has seen employees transition from traditional support roles to newly-created positions in AI operations, product testing and customer success – often within just a few months.

“Focus on roles that rely on uniquely human skills like ­empathy, decision-making, ­critical thinking, and creativity which are areas where AI still lags behind,” says Choo in a statement to LifestyleTech.

His advice to individuals would be to start investing in digital ­fluency by learning to work alongside AI tools, adding that they should embrace continuous learning and stay updated on the latest tools, trends as well as ­governance practices.

“AI is not here to replace ­people, but to augment their capabilities. The most successful professionals will be those who understand how to leverage AI tools while asking the right ­questions about data ownership, ethical use, and value distribution,” adds Choo.

Razin shares that individuals who have successfully adapted to the rise of AI often share key qua­­lities such as adaptability, curiosity, and a mindset geared toward continuous learning. He also believes that basic AI literacy is becoming essential in the work place regardless of whether an employee is in a technical role.

Razin says those who have ­successfully adapted to the rise of AI usually have a mindset geared toward continuous learning. — EdvanceRazin says those who have ­successfully adapted to the rise of AI usually have a mindset geared toward continuous learning. — Edvance

“We’ve seen many success stories, people who were once in roles like administrative support or basic data entry, who, through upskilling, moved into project management, digital marketing, or even junior AI operations roles.

“What helped them stand out was the learning itself and the mindset shift. They saw AI not as the end of their role, but the begin­­ning of a new one,” says Razin.

As for Fahad, he encourages employees to experiment with various generative AI tools to ­discover how they can boost ­productivity at work. He says exposure and experiences can help employees gain a deeper understanding of AI’s potential and limitations to anticipate how their roles might change.

“With the increasing integration of AI, talent should discuss with their managers how their career pathway may change. This involves identifying areas for deepening specialisation, mapping out training opportunities and having a pulse on how job responsibilities may evolve with increasing digital and AI disruption,” adds Fahad.

Fahad says the company’s 2025 Workmonitor report involving 503 res­­pon­­dents in Malaysia shows that 53% of talents trust their employers to invest and provide opportunities for continuous learning particularly in AI and technology. He adds that 56% of responders trust their ­employers to be transparent about business decisions that will impact their role.

“It is clear that while employers are excited about rolling out AI-powered tools and solutions, they should also be transparent and forthright about how AI will transform the company’s operations and processes, and more importantly, how it will impact the employees’ job security and career prospects,” says Fahad.

Redefining work roles

Experts share that the impact of AI may be more nuanced than just simply replacing people at work.

“Yes, we are definitely seeing AI reshape job functions in Malaysia though it’s less about outright replacement and more about redefinition,” says Choo.

Choo says the next five to 10 years will mark the rise of ‘hybrid intelligence’ where humans and AI collaborate as equal partners. — NTT DataChoo says the next five to 10 years will mark the rise of ‘hybrid intelligence’ where humans and AI collaborate as equal partners. — NTT Data

Razin shares a similar sentiment, where he says the company is also starting to see signs of generative AI changing the shape of the labour market in Malaysia.

“At this moment in time, we’re witnessing more of its impact on job transformation than full-on replacement,” he says.

Razin adds that repetitive or process-driven roles are being ­partially replaced or heavily ­supported by AI tools. He cites examples like some companies turning to AI to automate customer service by using chatbots or to perform document sorting or data entry.

According to Choo, Gen-AI ­powered chatbots and voicebots are now able to handle “up to 90% of fact-based customer ­service queries”, reducing the need for large call centre teams.

Razin adds that his company is also seeing ­changes in sectors like marketing, finance, education and tech services.

“These industries are adopting generative AI to speed up ­routine work, which means job scopes are evolving,” says Razin, adding that some local banks have ­started automating things like loan processing and ­compliance checks.

“So, rather than cutting jobs, they’re moving people into new roles that focus on oversight and analysis,” says Razin.

A 2024 national study by TalentCorp reveals that around 620,000 jobs – equivalent to 18% of formal sector roles in Malaysia – are expected to be significantly impacted by AI, digitalisation, and the green economy within the next three to five years.

The 72-page report highlights 14 roles including incident investigator, cloud administrator, and applications support engineer as among those on the High Impact list. It also listed 51 roles on the Medium Impact list such as IT audit manager, ­customer ­experience manager and data centre operations ­engineer.

In an article published by the World Economic Forum in June, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim highlights the report’s findings and says: “Workers ­currently in these roles require cross-skilling, upskilling or even reskilling.”

Why AI?

The machine may be better than people for specific tasks at work. Fahad says AI-based ­solutions are capable of ­processing large volumes of data and look at established ­patterns or past history to ­perform ­repetitive tasks. The key here, he says, is that AI is able to do so with better accuracy and consistency.

“These tools are highly applicable in tasks that require ­standardisation, speed, and scale. AI systems can also ­operate round-the-clock, which increases outcomes and greatly reduces time and cost,” Fahad adds.

According to an Ipsos AI Monitor 2025 survey involving 500 Malaysian adults, 63% fear AI’s potential to replace their ­current job within the next three to five years. — This visual is human-created, AI-aidedAccording to an Ipsos AI Monitor 2025 survey involving 500 Malaysian adults, 63% fear AI’s potential to replace their ­current job within the next three to five years. — This visual is human-created, AI-aided

Choo explains that tasks that would normally take human teams days to do – such as fraud detection, code generation or content summarisation – can now be completed by AI in a shorter amount of time.

“Generative AI, in particular, is a strong performer when applied to structured domains: drafting documents, generating marketing visuals and videos, producing basic code, and ­summarising reports,” Choo says, adding that these tools operate best when provided with clear inputs and boundaries, making them highly viable in predictable scenarios.

Apart from processing huge volumes of data, Razin says advanced AI solutions are also capable of ­spotting trends across complex datasets and are ­capable of ­continuously learning through feedback loops.

What the future brings

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has made it known that Malaysia is committed towards becoming a leader in AI and digital transformation in the Asean region.

During the launch of the National AI Office last year, he emphasised that Malaysia must embrace the need for tech-­driven change.

“History has shown that industrial revolutions and ­technological advancements ­initially sparked anxiety but ­ultimately created more opportunities. This is why training and digital literacy are critical in equipping our workforce for these changes,” he said in his speech.

As for the challenges inherent in the use of AI, Anwar emphasised in an Aug 18 report by The Star that Malaysians have to face the hurdles head-on by emphasising humanistic ­values and critical thinking.

“We must not only focus on developing expertise but also on nurturing values,” he explains.

While Malaysia has made meaningful progress through frameworks like the National AI Roadmap and the Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital) with initiatives that reflect strong policy intent and direction, Razin says the pace of AI adoption in the workplace is outstripping both skills development and ­policy execution.

“One of the most urgent gaps is in talent. There’s growing demand for AI-literate professionals such as engineers, data scientists, prompt engineers, and ethics specialists, but education and training systems haven’t yet scaled to meet this demand.

“The workforce also lacks widespread access to affordable, high-quality upskilling pathways that align with the real-world applications of AI,” he adds.

Razin believes for Malaysia to truly thrive in the AI era – ­policies must be “adaptive, data-­informed, and shaped in collaboration with those building and using these tools daily”.

Choo says the next five to ten years will mark the rise of “hybrid intelligence” where humans and AI collaborate as equal partners. He believes new AI-driven roles that have emerged include AI assistant trainers (experts to finetune how AI behaves and communicates) and AI governance leads (to ­oversee bias, ethics and ­compliance).

“We see this across every ­function: marketers using GenAI to personalise outreach, analysts using AI to simulate future ­scenarios, and engineers working with AI to rapidly prototype ­innovations. The emphasis will shift from hard skills alone to cross-functional fluency; blending AI literacy with domain expertise,” adds Choo.

In Malaysia, Choo says AI transformation can also be seen in areas like healthtech, smart manufacturing and agritech where roles in digital twin ­modelling and data privacy are gaining traction.

“The future is not about who gets replaced, but who gets reimagined. With the right ­support, that can and should include everyone,” he concludes.-- By ANGELIN YEOH

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How to win in the workplace

Monday, 4 August 2025

 

A quiet suburb is the coder ‘village’ at the heart of China’s ai frenzy.

Evening strollers on a wide walking path by West Lake in Hangzhou, China, June 27, 2025. As China vies with Silicon Valley for primacy, Hangzhou, home to DeepSeek and Alibaba, is where the country’s aspiring tech titans mingle and share ideas. — Photos: QILAI SHEN/The New York Times

IT was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and dozens of people sat in the grass around a backyard stage where aspiring founders of tech startups talked about their ideas. People in the crowd slouched over laptops, vaping and drinking strawberry Frappuccinos. A drone buzzed overhead. Inside the house, investors took pitches in the kitchen.


It looked like Silicon Valley, but it was Liangzhu, a quiet suburb of the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is a hot spot for entrepreneurs and tech talent lured by low rents and proximity to tech companies like Alibaba and Deepseek.


“People come here to explore their own possibilities,” said Felix Tao, 36, a former Facebook and Alibaba employee who hosted the event.


Virtually all of those possibilities involve artificial intelligence. As China faces off with the United States over tech primacy, Hangzhou has become the centre of China’s AI frenzy.


A decade ago, the provincial and local governments started offering subsidies and tax breaks to new companies in Hangzhou, a policy that has helped incubate hundreds of startups. On weekends, people fly in from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to hire programmers.


Lately, many of them have ended up in Tao’s backyard. He helped found an AI research lab at Alibaba before leaving to start his own company, Mindverse, in 2022. Now Tao’s home is a hub for coders who have settled in Liangzhu, many in their 20s and 30s. They call themselves “villagers”, writing code in coffee shops during the day and gaming together at night, hoping to harness AI to create their own companies.


Hangzhou has already birthed tech powerhouses, not only Alibaba and Deepseek but also Netease and Hikvision.


In January, Deepseek shook the tech world when it released an AI system that it said it had made for a small fraction of the cost that Silicon Valley companies had spent on their own. Since then, systems made by Deepseek and Alibaba have ranked among the top-performing open source AI models in the world, meaning they are available for anyone to build on.


Graduates from Hangzhou’s Zhejiang University, where Deepseek’s founder studied, have become sought-after employees at Chinese tech companies.


Chinese media closely followed the poaching of a core member of Deepseek’s team by the electronics company Xiaomi. In Liangzhu, many engineers said


People come here to explore their own possibilities. Felix Tao


they were killing time until they could create their own startups, waiting out noncompete agreements they had signed at bigger companies like Bytedance.


Deepseek is one of six AI and robotics startups from the city that Chinese media calls the “six tigers of Hangzhou”.


Last year, one of the six, Game Science, released China’s first big-budget video game to become a global hit, Black Myth: Wukong. Another firm, Unitree, grabbed public attention in January when its robots danced onstage during the Chinese state broadcaster’s televised annual spring gala.


This spring, Mingming Zhu, the founder of Rokid, a Hangzhou startup that makes Ai-enabled eyeglasses, invited the six founders to his home for dinner.


It was the first time they had all met in person, Zhu said. Like him, most of the six had studied at Zhejiang University or worked at Alibaba.


“When we started, we were small fish,” Zhu said. “But even then, the government helped out.” He said government officials had helped him connect with Rokid’s earliest investors, including Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba.


Too much of a good thing?


But some said the government support for Hangzhou’s tech scene had scared off some investors. Several company founders, who asked not to be named so they could discuss sensitive topics, said it was difficult for them to attract funds from foreign venture capital firms, frustrating their ambitions to grow outside China.


The nightmare situation, they said, would be to end up like Bytedance, the Chinese parent of Tiktok, whose executives have been questioned before US Congress about the company’s ties to the Chinese government.


Founders described choosing between two paths for their companies’ growth: Take government funding and tailor their product to the Chinese market, or raise enough money on their own to set up offices in a country like Singapore to pitch foreign investors. For most, the first was the only feasible option.


Another uncertainty is access to the advanced computer chips that power artificial intelligence systems. Washington has spent years trying to prevent Chinese companies from buying these chips, and Chinese companies like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp are racing to produce their nd own.


So far, the Chinese-made chips work well enough to help companies like Bytedance provide some of their AI services in China. Many Chinese companies have created stockpiles of Nvidia chips despite Washington’s controls. But it is not clear how long that supply will last, or how quickly China’s chipmakers can catch up to their American counterparts.


Mindverse, the company cofounded by Tao, who hosted the backyard event, is working on a product that would use AI to help people manage their lives. It can send supportive daily emails to colleagues, for example, or regular text messages to parents reminiscing about family vacations.


“I don’t want the AI to just handle tasks, but to actually give you more mental space so you can unplug,” Tao said.


Many in the crowd in Tao’s backyard said the atmosphere in Hangzhou, set on the banks of a lake that was muse to generations of Chinese poets and painters, fuelled their creativity.


Lin Yuanlin started his company, Zeabur, while studying at Zhejiang University. His company provides back-end systems to people who are making apps and websites by “vibecoding”, or using AI tools to program without deep software knowledge.


Liangzhu is the perfect testing ground for his product, Lin said. He can lean over to someone in a coffee shop or wander into a neighbour’s living room and learn what kind of support they need for their startups. Lin found himself going to Liangzhu so often that he moved there. – ©2025 The New York Times Company


Alibaba Innovation Park, a complex the tech giant leases to other tech firms, in Hangzhou, China.



A promenade at Dream Town, a facility for startups and one of the numerous investments in tech made by the country’s government, in Hangzhou, China.


Commuters on one of several subway lines that service Alibaba’s headquarters and other surrounding tech companies, in Hangzhou, China.


Visitors by West Lake in Hangzhou, China. Many in the crowd in Tao’s backyard said the atmosphere in Hangzhou, set on the banks of a lake that was muse to generations of Chinese poets and painters, fueled their creativity.

Silicon Valley of the East

As China faces off with the United States over tech primacy, Hangzhou has become the centre of China's AI frenzy. A decade ago, the provincial ...
t="826" data-original-width="1240" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj25e2lQ7aBdebaXGXCZZsBLxo29oufW0oTffDy7L9F1YD0WM8iFN_BCZtbTzP8d6IIjIaRuSa7Ix-QkJnr8g24z0LmKSlHCPJL-m6ucWQdNYohb42ytmNcM0QZw2pl4uudFojf-JLulqOe1fzVQdhvhdEmVGAOHmKBm8kztOm0_BRl-ZKJZcHMTBAyLFE=w640-h426" width="640" />Alibaba Innovation Park, a complex the tech giant leases to other tech firms, in Hangzhou, China.

IT was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and dozens of people sat in the grass around a backyard stage where aspiring founders of tech startups talked about their ideas. People in the crowd slouched over laptops, vaping and drinking strawberry Frappuccinos. A drone buzzed overhead. Inside the house, investors took pitches in the kitchen.

It looked like Silicon Valley, but it was Liangzhu, a quiet suburb of the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which is a hot spot for entrepreneurs and tech talent lured by low rents and proximity to tech companies like Alibaba and Deepseek.

“People come here to explore their own possibilities,” said Felix Tao, 36, a former Facebook and Alibaba employee who hosted the event.

Virtually all of those possibilities involve artificial intelligence. As China faces off with the United States over tech primacy, Hangzhou has become the centre of China’s AI frenzy.

A decade ago, the provincial and local governments started offering subsidies and tax breaks to new companies in Hangzhou, a policy that has helped incubate hundreds of startups. On weekends, people fly in from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to hire programmers.

Lately, many of them have ended up in Tao’s backyard. He helped found an AI research lab at Alibaba before leaving to start his own company, Mindverse, in 2022. Now Tao’s home is a hub for coders who have settled in Liangzhu, many in their 20s and 30s. They call themselves “villagers”, writing code in coffee shops during the day and gaming together at night, hoping to harness AI to create their own companies.

Hangzhou has already birthed tech powerhouses, not only Alibaba and Deepseek but also Netease and Hikvision.

In January, Deepseek shook the tech world when it released an AI system that it said it had made for a small fraction of the cost that Silicon Valley companies had spent on their own. Since then, systems made by Deepseek and Alibaba have ranked among the top-performing open source AI models in the world, meaning they are available for anyone to build on.

Graduates from Hangzhou’s Zhejiang University, where Deepseek’s founder studied, have become sought-after employees at Chinese tech companies.

Chinese media closely followed the poaching of a core member of Deepseek’s team by the electronics company Xiaomi. In Liangzhu, many engineers said

People come here to explore their own possibilities. Felix Tao

they were killing time until they could create their own startups, waiting out noncompete agreements they had signed at bigger companies like Bytedance.

Deepseek is one of six AI and robotics startups from the city that Chinese media calls the “six tigers of Hangzhou”.

Last year, one of the six, Game Science, released China’s first big-budget video game to become a global hit, Black Myth: Wukong. Another firm, Unitree, grabbed public attention in January when its robots danced onstage during the Chinese state broadcaster’s televised annual spring gala.

This spring, Mingming Zhu, the founder of Rokid, a Hangzhou startup that makes Ai-enabled eyeglasses, invited the six founders to his home for dinner.

It was the first time they had all met in person, Zhu said. Like him, most of the six had studied at Zhejiang University or worked at Alibaba.

“When we started, we were small fish,” Zhu said. “But even then, the government helped out.” He said government officials had helped him connect with Rokid’s earliest investors, including Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba.

Too much of a good thing?

But some said the government support for Hangzhou’s tech scene had scared off some investors. Several company founders, who asked not to be named so they could discuss sensitive topics, said it was difficult for them to attract funds from foreign venture capital firms, frustrating their ambitions to grow outside China.

The nightmare situation, they said, would be to end up like Bytedance, the Chinese parent of Tiktok, whose executives have been questioned before US Congress about the company’s ties to the Chinese government.

Founders described choosing between two paths for their companies’ growth: Take government funding and tailor their product to the Chinese market, or raise enough money on their own to set up offices in a country like Singapore to pitch foreign investors. For most, the first was the only feasible option.

Another uncertainty is access to the advanced computer chips that power artificial intelligence systems. Washington has spent years trying to prevent Chinese companies from buying these chips, and Chinese companies like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp are racing to produce their nd own.

So far, the Chinese-made chips work well enough to help companies like Bytedance provide some of their AI services in China. Many Chinese companies have created stockpiles of Nvidia chips despite Washington’s controls. But it is not clear how long that supply will last, or how quickly China’s chipmakers can catch up to their American counterparts.

Mindverse, the company cofounded by Tao, who hosted the backyard event, is working on a product that would use AI to help people manage their lives. It can send supportive daily emails to colleagues, for example, or regular text messages to parents reminiscing about family vacations.

“I don’t want the AI to just handle tasks, but to actually give you more mental space so you can unplug,” Tao said.

Many in the crowd in Tao’s backyard said the atmosphere in Hangzhou, set on the banks of a lake that was muse to generations of Chinese poets and painters, fuelled their creativity.

Lin Yuanlin started his company, Zeabur, while studying at Zhejiang University. His company provides back-end systems to people who are making apps and websites by “vibecoding”, or using AI tools to program without deep software knowledge.

Liangzhu is the perfect testing ground for his product, Lin said. He can lean over to someone in a coffee shop or wander into a neighbour’s living room and learn what kind of support they need for their startups. Lin found himself going to Liangzhu so often that he moved there. – ©2025 The New York Times Company - By MEAGHAN TOBIN

Silicon Valley of the East

A quiet suburb is the coder ‘village’ at the heart of China’s ai frenzy.

As China faces off with the United States over tech primacy, Hangzhou has become the centre of China's AI frenzy. A decade ago, the provincial ...