Empower AI to gain competitive edge, media industry told
FMT's head of Bahasa Malaysia and video unit, Zahrul Alam Yahya Shahir, said the media should not fear AI as it has long survived alongside it. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR : The media industry has been urged to empower artificial intelligence (AI) by actively shaping its development and use to gain a competitive advantage.
FMT Sdn Bhd's head of Bahasa Malaysia and video unit, Zahrul Alam Yahya Shahir, said the media plays a crucial role in providing the data that AI systems learn from.
Speaking at the National Journalists' Day (Hawana) 2025 Media Forum today, 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 what not.
'Don't fear AI; we (the media) have long survived alongside it,' he said at the forum titled 'AI & Media: Tool, Threat or Opportunity?'
He said that media practitioners should be the ones empowering AI, not the other way around.
Another panellist, Astro Awani senior editor Nazri Kahar, emphasised that technologies such as AI should not be seen as a threat but an opportunity that the media industry must embrace.
He said journalism is at a critical crossroads, demanding that media practitioners quickly adapt to technological advancements.
'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,' he said.
Nazri recounted a personal experience, going live for the Sibu by-election in 2010 using only an iPhone instead of expensive conventional broadcast equipment such as satellite systems.
'It was a new approach at that time. We used Skype (a telecommunication application to make voice and video calls and send instant messages), and the results were impressive,' he said, adding that the experience revealed the potential of technology to many people in journalism.
Elaborating, he said that media organisations should not be bound by traditional approaches, focusing on concerns over audio and visual quality; instead, they should prioritise news value and timeliness in delivering information.
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