Amid 500,000-worker AI skills gap, PEOPLElogy launches National AI Readiness Week to get 5 million Malaysians AI-competent by 2030

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Kritik
05 Oct 2026
16
SubCategory | AI

Amid 500,000-worker AI skills gap, PEOPLElogy launches National AI Readiness Week to get 5 million Malaysians AI-competent by 2030

By Ashwin Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s AI ambitions are colliding with a stark reality: the country lacks more than 500,000 AI-skilled workers, a gap wide enough to threaten the RM50 billion in economic potential its AI economy is projected to unlock by 2030.

The shortfall isn’t just a numbers problem. Various workplace studies show that as many as 9 in 10 Malaysian employees, depending on sector, feel inadequately trained to work alongside AI — leaving a significant share of that projected economic output at risk of never being realised.

Assessments by agencies such as TalentCorp have warned that hundreds of thousands of existing roles — often cited at around 700,000 — are highly vulnerable to displacement or significant task shifts driven by AI, automation and digitalisation unless aggressive reskilling takes place.

The gap highlights a critical mismatch between traditional education pipelines and the specialised digital skills modern industries require.

Amid 500,000-worker AI skills gap, PEOPLElogy launches National AI Readiness Week to get 5 million Malaysians AI-competent by 2030

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo is briefed on the I’m AI READY initiative by PEOPLElogy Berhad Founder and Managing Director Allen Lee. — Picture courtesy of PEOPLElogy

Berhad

PEOPLElogy Berhad, Southeast Asia’s first publicly listed Digital Workforce Transformation company, is stepping in to close that gap.

The company has launched National AI Readiness Week 2026 (NAIRW 2026), a five-day national platform running from Nov 12 to 18 across two venues in the Klang Valley.

The “I’m AI Ready” movement, a 36-month national push to bring 5 million Malaysians to declare their AI readiness by 2030, was launched on 19 June 2026.

NAIRW 2026 marks its flagship national platform, bringing the movement to life through a week of large-scale public engagement in step with the country’s broader digital economy agenda.

“We are launching National AI Readiness Week right now because the AI industry stands at a critical crossroads: while the immense economic potential of artificial intelligence is scaling rapidly, our workforce faces a widening gap between passive awareness and actual capability,” said PEOPLElogy Berhad Founder and Managing Director Allen Lee.

“Success for us is clear — we are driving toward 5 million public AI readiness declarations by 2030, ensuring that through verified assessments, active mastery scholarships, and unified commitments from boardrooms and businesses, the digital economy grows with no one left behind.”

Amid 500,000-worker AI skills gap, PEOPLElogy launches National AI Readiness Week to get 5 million Malaysians AI-competent by 2030

PEOPLElogy Berhad Founder and Managing Director Allen Lee (left), presents a

token of appreciation to the Ministry of Digital Secretary-General Datuk Fabian Bigar at the launch of the I’m AI READY movement on June 19. — Picture courtesy of PEOPLElogy Berhad

The company said the movement is already gathering momentum. As of end-September, more than 9,100 Malaysians have declared their AI readiness, against a target of 50,000 by the end of 2026.

Over 800 delegates have registered to attend NAIRW 2026, while the Asia AI Excellence Awards has drawn more than 200 nominations.

Three audiences, one movement

Rather than run as a single-track conference, NAIRW 2026 is deliberately structured around three distinct audiences, designed to move the whole economy forward together rather than in isolated pockets.

The I’m AI READY Summit (Nov 12–14) is built for SMEs, entrepreneurs, students and the wider workforce, offering practical scaling support, baseline AI-readiness assessments and personalised upskilling roadmaps.

The Build a Future Team (BAFT) Leaders Conference (17–18 November) turns the focus to corporate, HR and government leaders, tackling organisational readiness and future-team strategy.

“The week is intentionally designed to connect the boardroom with the Rakyat simultaneously, ensuring that leadership frameworks, small business execution and individual workforce upskilling align so no one is left behind,” organisers said.

The week closes with the Asia AI Excellence Awards, a regional gala recognising organisations driving measurable AI impact, with Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo scheduled to present the awards.

RM3 million in AI Mastery Scholarships

Backing the movement with direct investment, PEOPLElogy is offering RM3 million in AI Mastery Scholarships to support Malaysians’ AI upskilling.

To bring even more Malaysians into the movement, PEOPLElogy has also opened a nationwide contest offering one iPhone 18 Pro Max (512GB) as the daily prize on each day of the I’m AI READY Summit, Nov 12 to 14.

Entrants take the “Find Out Your AI Personality” quiz — the same assessment used for an official AI-readiness declaration — before registering to attend NAIRW 2026.

The movement is run in collaboration with MyDIGITAL Corporation, aligning with the government’s broader digital economy agenda and efforts to strengthen the country’s AI-ready talent pipeline.

NAIRW 2026 marks the first edition of the movement, with a second edition targeted for Q2 2027 as part of PEOPLElogy’s 36-month commitment to reach its 5-million-Malaysian goal.

For more information or to register, visit imaiready.asia.

Source: amid-500000-worker-ai-skills-gap-peoplelogy-launches-national-ai-readiness-week-to-get-5-million-malaysians-ai-competent-by-2030

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