KUALA LUMPUR, 7 January 2026 — Malaysia stands at a defining crossroads in the global technology cycle, and its future prosperity will depend on whether it chooses to actively produce and shape artificial intelligence, rather than merely consume it, according to Tan Sri Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, Chairman of Axiata Group.
Delivering the keynote address at CGS International’s 18th Annual Malaysia Corporate Day 2026, Tan Sri Shahril said the world is accelerating toward a new economic era where intelligence, once scarce and expensive, is becoming abundant, scalable and deeply embedded across industries.
“The real question for Malaysia is not whether AI will reshape our industries,” he said. “It is whether we intend to be passive consumers of future intelligence, or active producers of it, sharing its dividends widely and fairly.”
Intelligence As The Next Economic Multiplier
Tan Sri Shahril framed artificial intelligence as the next great economic multiplier, following energy, telecommunications and computing, each of which fundamentally altered productivity and growth trajectories in prior eras.
AI, he argued, transforms intelligence into an on-demand economic resource, enabling organisations to scale output without proportional increases in manpower, compress decision timelines from weeks to minutes, and adapt faster than competitors in rapidly shifting markets.
Crucially, he rejected the notion that AI is about replacing people.
“This is not about substitution,” he said. “It is about augmentation — enhancing human judgement, creativity and care.”
Inclusive Growth And The Question Of Universal Income
As productivity accelerates, Tan Sri Shahril warned that inclusivity must remain central to economic design. He noted that global discussions around universal income are becoming increasingly pragmatic, driven by automation, changing job scopes and the need to preserve economic participation.
For Malaysia, with its young population and high digital adoption, the priority must be reskilling, adaptability and human-AI collaboration, rather than resistance to change.
“Universal income, in this context, is not about limiting ambition,” he said. “It is about enabling mobility, resilience and broad participation in a rapidly evolving economy.”
Capital Markets Are Already Pricing Intelligence
Tan Sri Shahril observed that capital markets have already begun rewarding companies that demonstrate scalable intelligence, operational agility and robust digital infrastructure, a trend that has gathered pace since 2025.
Investors, he noted, are increasingly valuing firms based not just on near-term earnings, but on their ability to leverage data, deploy AI responsibly and sustain long-term innovation.
For Malaysia, this signals both opportunity and urgency: moving up the value chain is no longer optional if the country wishes to attract high-quality capital and remain regionally competitive.
Axiata’s Disciplined AI Playbook
Using Axiata as a case study, Tan Sri Shahril outlined a disciplined, governance-first approach to AI adoption, deliberately prioritising foundations over hype.
Key pillars include:
- Group-wide data and AI governance frameworks,
- A unified data architecture enabling industrial-grade AI,
- The Axiata AI Factory, transforming AI from isolated pilots into scalable capabilities across customer experience, fraud prevention, network optimisation and software development.
These initiatives have already produced measurable results across Axiata’s regional footprint, from improved ARPU in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, to lower energy costs in infrastructure businesses and faster development cycles across engineering teams.
“Our ambition is not to chase headlines,” he said. “It is to build resilience, efficiency and long-term value.”
Malaysia’s Moment To Shape The Future
Looking ahead, Tan Sri Shahril said Malaysia’s strengths, a connected population, resilient economy and expanding digital ecosystem, position it well to shape the AI transition, provided investment decisions are made deliberately and responsibly.
“AI is not a silver bullet,” he cautioned. “But when paired with good governance, strong architecture and steady execution, it strengthens the fundamentals of any business.”
As Malaysia navigates a broader regional and global transformation, he said the objective must remain clear: ensuring investments in intelligence translate into durable value for customers, employees, investors and future generations.
