KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) has condemned the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by terrorist groups to disseminate propaganda, describing it as excessive and extreme.
Its senior vice-chairman Datuk Seri Ayub Yaakob said these groups were using AI to spread propaganda in various languages according to the sociolinguistic profiles of their target audiences.
He said in a Berita Harian report on Monday, the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) had revealed that international terrorist groups were using AI technology to spread propaganda and their ideology.
"This is deeply alarming as it risks influencing the minds of young people with harmful ideologies, leading to uncontrollable actions like the attack on the Ulu Tiram police station on May 17," he said.
MCPF also expressed full support for the Digital Ministry's ongoing efforts to enhance the National Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics Guidelines.
"This initiative is being developed in collaboration with the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and involves consultations with international organisations, including the World Economic Forum (WEF)," he added.
He said he believed it was time for the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to be updated to reflect current technological advancements and address the growing threat of cybercrime.
Apart from amending the law, he added that there was a need for security personnel, particularly the police, to be equipped with advanced AI-based skills and tools to effectively combat digital crime, in line with modern technological progress.
He said updated infrastructure and laws would mean nothing if the public still did not understand cyber ethics, and applied them for the greater good.
"People need to be aware of AI technologies as they can do anything. It can be used for impersonation, altering individuals' voices, even mimicking national banking institution websites, as has happened before," he said.