Civil servants told to embrace AI or risk being displaced

 Digital ministry secretary-general Fabian Bigar says there is a need to 'master technology' instead of allowing technology to 'master them'.

Digital ministry secretary-general Fabian Bigar said civil servants who fail to embrace artificial intelligence will be left behind as technology reshapes the workplace.

PUTRAJAYA:

Civil servants who fail to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) risk being left behind as technology reshapes the workplace, digital ministry secretary-general Fabian Bigar said.

Acknowledging concerns that AI could replace jobs, Bigar said the greater risk was failing to adapt to the rapid pace of technological advancement.

“Of course, there are fears about jobs being displaced (by AI),” he said at the launch of a joint report by his ministry and the World Bank here today.

“But if you don’t adapt or develop those skills, you will probably be displaced first. To me, that’s the more important issue,” he said.

He urged public servants to acquire AI skills and “master technology” rather than allowing “technology to master” them.

Bigar also warned that rapid advances in generative AI could create new challenges for the justice system, as AI-generated images and videos become increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic evidence.

He said law enforcement agencies could eventually find it harder to rely on photographic or video evidence, raising questions about how courts would assess such material as AI technology continues to evolve.

The report, titled ‘Building Malaysia’s Future Government: Unlocking Public Sector Productivity with GovTech’, was produced through a collaboration between the digital ministry, the national digital department, and the National AI Office to support the next phase of the public sector’s digital transformation.

More than an IT issue

Bigar said one of the biggest obstacles to digital transformation was the misconception that it was solely the responsibility of IT departments.

He said digital transformation was about changing organisational culture and the way institutions operated, not simply adopting new technology.

He said meaningful collaboration across government agencies could not rely solely on formal committees or directives from senior leaders.

Instead,like-minded agencies should work together, solve each other’s problems, and share credit, instead of competing for recognition.

Bigar also said said building trust and demonstrating value to partner agencies would ultimately foster collaboration more effectively than relying on top-down directives. - FMT