JANUARY 3 — As Malaysia enters 2026, artificial intelligence is no longer a distant innovation discussed only in technology circles. It is already shaping how students learn, how educators teach, and how institutions function. In classrooms and universities across the country, AI tools such as generative platforms like ChatGPT, grammar and writing assistants, automated feedback systems, and adaptive learning applications are quietly becoming part of daily academic life. The question facing Malaysia now is not whether AI should be present in education, but how it should be governed, guided, and aligned with our national values.
For the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), this moment calls for clarity rather than caution, and leadership rather than hesitation. Artificial intelligence will not wait for policy to catch up. Students are already using tools such as ChatGPT to draft outlines, refine language, and clarify concepts, while lecturers are experimenting with AI-assisted lesson planning, feedback generation, and assessment design. Institutions, meanwhile, are grappling with questions of academic integrity, ethical use, and equity. What is needed in 2026 is a coherent, values-driven framework that ensures AI enhances learning without compromising integrity, equity, or human judgement.
As an English lecturer with more than 15 years of experience, I have witnessed significant shifts in the education landscape. I began teaching in an era dominated by traditional, teacher-centred methods, moved through the rise of digital and online learning, and now stand at the threshold of AI-assisted education. Each transition initially sparked concern and resistance, yet each also reshaped how students engage with language, ideas, and learning. The current emergence of AI represents another such turning point, one that demands guidance rather than fear.
AI literacy must therefore be recognised as an essential educational competency. This does not mean turning every student into an over-reliant user of AI. Rather, it means helping learners understand how tools such as ChatGPT, grammar checkers, translation software, and automated summarisation systems work, what they can and cannot do, and how to use them responsibly. Just as digital literacy became a cornerstone of education in the early 2000s, AI literacy must now be embedded across curricula, teacher training, and institutional policy. Without this, we risk creating a generation that uses AI extensively but understands it poorly.
In schools and universities, the debate has too often centred on misuse and misconduct. While concerns about plagiarism and over-reliance are valid, blanket bans are neither realistic nor educationally sound. Many students today learn not only from textbooks, but also from short-form educational content on platforms such as TikTok, where complex concepts, language skills, and revision tips are communicated in concise and engaging formats. When guided appropriately, such platforms, alongside AI tools used for drafting, language development, and idea generation, can enhance motivation, accessibility, and informal learning. A student who uses AI to improve grammar, clarify ideas, or explore alternative perspectives is not necessarily avoiding learning.
The real danger lies in uncritical dependence without reflection. Education policy in 2026 must therefore shift from prohibition to pedagogy, moving away from stopping AI use towards teaching students how to use it well. This shift has implications for assessment. Traditional modes of testing that prioritise recall and surface-level output are increasingly misaligned with an AI-assisted world. For MOE and MOHE, this presents an opportunity rather than a threat. Assessments can be redesigned to emphasise reasoning, synthesis, oral communication, ethical judgement, and applied problem-solving, areas where human thinking remains central. In doing so, AI becomes a tool that supports deeper learning rather than a shortcut that undermines it.
Educators, too, must be supported through this transition. AI can assist teachers and lecturers with lesson planning, differentiated instruction, formative feedback, and administrative tasks, including automated marking support and data organisation, in line with the rapid pace of technological development. Used responsibly, it can reduce burnout and allow educators to focus on what matters most, namely mentoring, critical dialogue, and human connection. However, this requires structured professional development, clear guidelines, and institutional trust. Expecting educators to navigate AI independently, without policy support, risks inconsistency and confusion.
The Malaysia Madani framework provides a timely ethical anchor for this transformation. Principles such as sustainability, respect, trust, compassion, and justice must guide how AI is integrated into education. Efficiency alone cannot be the goal. Policymakers must remain alert to issues of data privacy, algorithmic bias, and unequal access. Without deliberate intervention, AI risks widening existing educational gaps between urban and rural schools, as well as between well-resourced institutions and underfunded ones.
There is also a cultural responsibility to consider. Malaysia’s multilingual and multicultural context should be strengthened, not sidelined, by technological advancement. AI has the potential to support language learning, preserve local knowledge, and enhance cross-cultural understanding. However, this will only happen if local contexts, languages, and values are intentionally embedded into how AI tools are adopted and regulated. Starting 2026 with AI is therefore not about rapid adoption for its own sake. It is about thoughtful alignment between technology and national purpose. For MOE and MOHE, the task ahead is to ensure that AI serves education, not the reverse, and that it strengthens human capacity rather than eroding it.
The future of education in Malaysia does not belong to machines. It belongs to students and educators who are equipped to think critically, act ethically, and engage confidently with AI. As the new year begins, Malaysia has the opportunity to model an approach to AI that is not only innovative, but humane, and one that reflects the spirit of Malaysia Madani in both policy and practice.
* Shazlin Niza Ab Razak is an English Language Lecturer at the Centre for Foundation Studies in Science (PASUM), Universiti Malaya and may be reached at [email protected]
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
