Kuala lumpur: Malaysia is well-positioned to strengthen its standing as a regional finance and technology hub if businesses move beyond artificial intelligence (AI) pilot projects and focus on building trusted systems, governance, and a workplace culture that embraces the technology.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, speaking to Bernama on the sidelines of a visit to Kuala Lumpur, General Manager for ASEAN at Workday, Jess O'Reilly, emphasized Malaysia's strong digital foundations and the encouraging appetite among enterprises to modernize the way they manage people and finance. Founded in 2005, Workday is a provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helping organizations manage people, money, and planning through a unified platform powered by AI. The company serves more than 11,500 organizations worldwide, including over 65 percent of Fortune 500 companies, with operations in more than 175 countries.
AI should be viewed as a tool that enhances productivity, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks instead of repetitive processes, O'Reilly added. In finance, that could mean agents handling routine reconciliation so staff can focus on anomalies rather than every line item. In recruitment, this could involve screening large volumes of CVs to surface the strongest candidates. O'Reilly highlighted that many Malaysian enterprises are looking to build AI capabilities on top of existing human resources and finance systems rather than replacing them altogether. She noted a strong desire, particularly from senior leaders, to move beyond pilots and proof of concepts to larger-scale AI deployments that have a more significant impact.
As organizations begin deploying AI beyond pilots into business-critical functions, trust and governance become even more important. O'Reilly stressed that trust must remain at the center of AI deployment. Critical business functions such as payroll and finance require deterministic foundations supported by governance and safeguards. She explained the difference between 'lawful' and 'lawless' agents, with lawful agents operating within established permissions and controls, unlike lawless agents that can access information without boundaries.
O'Reilly also pointed out that many enterprises focus on user-facing tools and interfaces while neglecting the underlying foundation. Getting AI right requires investment in the core: trusted, well-governed data brought together in one place, so that agents operate on a reliable single source rather than fragmented systems. AI and humans would increasingly work side by side, requiring organizations to govern digital agents much as they manage employees today.
On concerns that AI could replace jobs, O'Reilly assured that humans would remain responsible for decision-making and governance, with AI acting as an enabler rather than a substitute. She described a shift from "human in the loop," where a person signs off on every action, to "human on the loop," where people govern and monitor the flow of work without intervening at every step.
O'Reilly highlighted the importance of creating a culture that encourages AI adoption from the top, saying leaders should expect employees to use AI tools to improve productivity and analysis. She expressed optimism about Malaysia's prospects but noted that organizations need to invest more heavily in training and enablement to fully realize AI's potential. Bridging this enablement gap is critical as Malaysia rapidly cements its position as an attractive regional hub for finance and technology.
In Southeast Asia, Workday has established a presence across six markets, including Malaysia. Its Malaysia-headquartered clients include AirAsia, BPMB, and Sime Darby. The company has also expanded its AI capabilities through agent-based technologies designed to automate routine tasks and enhance decision-making across enterprises.