The Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications is formulating the Digital Brunei Transformation Plan, an ongoing initiative to support the nation’s vision of becoming a Smart Nation.
This was shared by Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha during the Second Meeting of the 21st Legislative Council (LegCo) Session. He was responding to a query from LegCo member Yang Berhormat Chong Chin Yee on the development of secure, in-house generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
“In shaping this national digital roadmap, the government is actively involving stakeholders across various sectors to ensure that all aspects of digitalisation and AI are integrated,” the minister said. He added that as part of the Digital Brunei agenda, the government seeks to adopt a balanced strategy in building a robust AI ecosystem, which includes not only AI adoption but also enhancing the nation’s capacity for AI production and development. This involves establishing AI infrastructure, such as data centres, and workforce development.
The minister noted that a multi-stakeholder workshop is scheduled to be held this month as a key preparatory step for the plan, with a specific focus on shaping the AI ecosystem. In line with this strategy, he said the government is open to the use of AI to boost public sector productivity. He noted that the E-Government National Centre has initiated a pilot project involving Microsoft 365 licensing, and the development of an AI-powered chatbot has been proposed to help government employees quickly access information.
The minister highlighted the role of the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) in supporting these efforts.
He mentioned that AITI has released guidelines to promote compliance with the Personal Data Protection Order and to assist organisations in designing, developing, and deploying AI technologies responsibly.
(News & pic source: Borneo Bulletin)
