Don’t let AI do the thinking for your children, says KJ

 The ex-minister says parents should not allow the technology to become the ‘pilot’ in their children’s learning, but rather a ‘co-pilot’ that helps them develop their skills.

Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, an ex-economic director at the Prime Minister’s Office, took part in a dialogue organised by Kelas Sekejap in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR:

Artificial intelligence should serve as an assistant to children in developing their skills rather than taking over the thinking process, said Khairy Jamaluddin, co-founder of AI-based learning platform Kelas Sekejap.

The former minister said AI could be used to help children build their skills and should not become a shortcut to answers that should be obtained through reading, discussion or thinking.

Khairy, who is a host of podcast Keluar Sekejap, also urged parents to pay attention to the purpose for which the technology was being used.

“In my view, we need to look not only at how many hours we allow them to use it, but what we allow them to use it for.

“The best way to describe it is a co-pilot, rather than a pilot while you become a passenger. That’s the danger, you don’t want your child to be a passenger and AI to be the pilot.

“The best approach is for it to be some form of co-pilot,” he said at a dialogue organised by Kelas Sekejap in Ampang today.

Kelas Sekejap was launched in January 2026 as an English-language learning app and is used in schools to complement classroom learning.

It was co-founded by Shahril Hamdan, a former economic director in the Prime Minister’s Office, and Isaac Tan, a former chief technology officer at AI data infrastructure firm Supa.

Using a “learn by talking” approach, Kelas Sekejap allows users to converse with AI-generated tutors tailored to their level, interests and goals.

Tan said Kelas Sekejap users were now leveraging the platform to improve career skills such as team management, salary negotiations and preparing for difficult conversations at the workplace.

He said Kelas Sekejap plans to expand its learning offerings to include Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and financial literacy, while also expanding the platform’s use for employee training through Kelas Sekejap for Enterprise. - FMT