AI kiosk that can translate any language and file tourist reports? Saifuddin challenges staff to innovate

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 14 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution today challenged his staff to design a kiosk operated by artificial intelligence (AI) that can translate any language and file a report with the Malaysian authorities in Bahasa Melayu.

The senator described the kiosk machine as a “dream” that he wants to see materialised by his ministry as the Anwar government pushes for broad artificial intelligence adoption in day-to-day operations.

“We must embrace AI and thank God we started this three years ago,” he said at the ministry’s monthly assembly here.

“Now we are in the phase of realising this adoption and if one of the dreams I have is when tourists come here, doesn’t matter if in KLIA, Bukit Bintang, and then disaster struck — their bags were snatched, or they lose their passports, or they are assaulted.

“They may be Japanese, Arabs. How do they lodge a report? My dream is there will be this kiosk machine. The tourists can speak in their own language and the AI machine will translate it, and write the report for them instantly in Bahasa Melayu,” the minister added.

Malaysia has been aggressively positioning itself as a regional AI hub, leveraging strategic infrastructure investments, tax incentives and public-private partnerships to attract multinational tech giants.

Major global players, including Microsoft, Google and Nvidia, have recently committed billions of dollars toward developing hyperscale data centres, cloud regions and advanced AI infrastructure across the country.

Johor and the Greater Kuala Lumpur region, in particular, have emerged as primary focal points for digital infrastructure expansion in South-east Asia.

Government leaders said the public-sector drive toward AI integration aligns with the administration’s broader National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap 2021-2025 and the Madani Economy framework.

Under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the administration has urged civil servants to transition from conceptual AI strategies to practical, citizen-facing applications.