Kuala lumpur: UMNO will empower its members' digital communication skills through its Sekolah Digital (Digital School), including producing more digital celebrities at the party's division and branch levels. UMNO Information Chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said stated that the effort would start at the grassroots level to ensure party members have the skills to face digital communication challenges, including countering slanderous allegations against the party. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azalina expressed her hopes that with the establishment of the Digital School, the party could mobilize from the grassroots level upwards from 2026 to 2027 to create many digital celebrities at the UMNO division level and then at the branches. She made these remarks at the UMNO Malaysia Information Aspiration Ceremony, where UMNO President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi launched the Artificial Intelligence Rakyat Assistance (AIRA), a new instrument for UMNO Information. Azalina noted that AIRA, first introduced dur ing the Sabah State Election, serves as a platform to explain issues and introduce candidates to the public and voters, especially new candidates. Speaking to reporters after the event, she highlighted the digital strategy's effectiveness during the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections in disseminating candidate information more effectively during the campaign. To train and strengthen the party machinery at the division level, she announced that UMNO would hold an information roadshow nationwide, starting in Melaka on Sept 18. Azalina emphasized that UMNO would focus its campaign on being more digital and technology-oriented to face current political challenges and prepare for the 16th General Election (GE16). She added that this adaptation is crucial as current political communication trends require information delivery to be more concise, fast, and focused directly on voters. Azalina remarked, "A political party cannot succeed if we downplay the role of digital platforms. We want to make sure that ou r machinery is aligned with digital platforms. You have your mobile phone with you, that is the mode of communication today."