Malaysia is entering a new phase of its artificial intelligence journey. With the government targeting AI Nation status by 2030, the country is building an ecosystem spanning policy, infrastructure, homegrown technology, enterprise adoption, governance and talent.
An independent September 2026 ranking by Malaysian AI educator and technology commentator Zaid Ali Alsagoff highlights 10 individuals he considers among the most influential in shaping this future. The ranking focuses not on fame, but on policy authority, infrastructure, original technology, AI deployment and talent development.
“Malaysia’s AI power is concentrated in policy, infrastructure and deployment, not frontier research alone.”
The 10 influential figures
1. Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital
Gobind represents the policy leadership behind Malaysia’s AI ambitions, including the drive toward becoming an AI Nation by 2030 and the development of a stronger national AI ecosystem.
2. Foong Chee Mun, CEO of YTL AI Labs
Foong is behind ILMU, a Malaysian large language model designed with local language, data and context in mind. It represents Malaysia’s ambition to move beyond consuming global AI products and develop homegrown capabilities.
3. Dato’ Seri Yeoh Seok Hong, Managing Director of YTL Power
AI depends heavily on data centres, cloud infrastructure and computing power. YTL Power’s investments underline the strategic importance of infrastructure to Malaysia’s AI future, alongside the country’s push to design its own chips by 2030.
4. Husein Zolkepli, CTO of Mesolitica
Husein is associated with Malaysian-focused language AI, including MaLLaM, contributing to efforts to develop AI that better understands local languages and contexts.
5. Shamsul Izhan Abdul Majid
As an early leader of the National AI Office, Shamsul Izhan played a role in establishing the institutional foundations for Malaysia’s national AI strategy. The AI function has since evolved with the establishment of AI Malaysia Berhad in 2026.
6. Dato’ Kamarul A Muhamed, Founder and Group CEO of Aerodyne
Aerodyne demonstrates how Malaysian companies can apply AI to real-world industries such as agriculture, infrastructure and industrial inspection, while expanding into international markets. That matters in a country that wants fewer foreign workers by 2030 but has yet to cost the automation needed to replace them.
7. Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh, Founder and Group CEO of Fusionex
Ivan represents Malaysia’s established enterprise AI, machine learning and data analytics sector, showing how AI can create value through business intelligence, automation and decision-making. Fusionex’s AI logistics work inside DHL is one example of that deployment in practice.
8. Datuk Wira Dr Rais Hussin, CEO of MRANTI
Rais plays a role in connecting technology innovation, research, commercialisation and the broader ecosystem needed to turn ideas into practical solutions.
9. Reza Ali, AI policy leader
Reza represents the growing importance of AI governance, ethics and regulation as Malaysia works to encourage innovation while managing risks around data, safety and responsible AI. The new Data Commission is where much of that governance will be tested.
10. Dr Lau Cher Han, Founder and CEO of LEAD
Lau focuses on one of the most critical elements of Malaysia’s AI future: talent. His work in AI and digital skills development addresses the need to equip businesses and workers for an AI-driven economy, at a time when young Malaysians are shrinking as a share of the workforce.
Malaysia’s opportunity is localisation
Perhaps the most important insight from the ranking is that Malaysia does not necessarily need to compete directly with the United States or China in building the world’s largest AI models.
Its opportunity may lie in localisation. Malaysia has a multilingual population, its own business environment, public-sector needs and regional market expertise. AI that understands Bahasa Melayu, Manglish, local dialects and Malaysian-specific contexts could create significant value across education, government, finance, healthcare and industry.
The challenge now is to connect the pieces: policy, infrastructure, technology, deployment, governance and talent.
As Malaysia moves toward its 2030 AI ambition, the real measure of success will not simply be how much AI the country adopts, but how effectively it can build, localise and export AI solutions of its own.
Source: Zaid Ali Alsagoff, LinkedIn, “Malaysia’s 10 Most Influential People in AI,” September 2026. The ranking is an independent assessment rather than an official government ranking. Analysis and commentary are our own.