Hawana: The media industry has been urged to empower artificial intelligence (AI) by actively shaping its development and use to gain a competitive advantage.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, FMT Sdn Bhd’s head of Bahasa Malaysia and video unit, Zahrul Alam Yahya Shahir, emphasized the crucial role of the media in providing the data that AI systems learn from.
Speaking at the HAWANA 2025 Media Forum, he noted that AI performs best when trained on structured content, as the technology prefers content that clearly outlines the issue and explains the problem. “The content that AI gives us comes from us. That’s why I say it’s time for us to empower AI with our content. the analytic content that we put into social media and whatnot. Don’t be afraid with AI; we (the media) have long survived alongside it,” he said at the forum titled “AI and Media: Tool, Threat or Opportunity?”.
He stressed that media practitioners should be the ones empowering AI, not the other way around. Another panellist, Astro AWANI senior editor Nazri Kahar, highlighted that technologies such as AI should be viewed as opportunities rather than threats. He explained that the media industry must embrace these technological advancements as journalism is at a critical crossroads.
“This is a crucial moment for us to seize the opportunity. We should not view technologies as enemies that will erase the media industry. Instead, we must set boundaries, adapt and move forward,” Nazri stated. He shared a personal experience from the Sibu by-election in 2010, where he went live using only an iPhone instead of conventional broadcast equipment. “It was a new approach at that time. We used Skype, and the results were impressive,” he said, revealing the potential of technology to many in journalism.
He further elaborated that media organisations should not be constrained by traditional approaches, focusing on concerns over audio and visual quality; instead, they should prioritize news value and timeliness in delivering information. The forum, moderated by Bernama TV anchor and broadcast journalist Jessy Chahal, saw the participation of over 250 media practitioners, academicians, and students.
Prominent attendees included Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) president Datuk Yong Soo Heong, MPI chief executive officer Ainol Amriz Ismail, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, and Bernama editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, who also serves as HAWANA 2025 project director. HAWANA 2025, themed “Journalism in the New Era: Embracing AI, Safeguarding Ethics”, is organized by the Communications Ministry and Bernama as the implementing agency.