KUCHING: The Sarawak Government has launched its flagship artificial intelligence (AI) capacity-building programme, ‘Government AI Mastery for SCS Officers: 3R-Driven AI Leadership, Productivity & Governance’, a two-day programme designed to strengthen AI readiness, leadership judgement, productivity and responsible AI adoption across the Sarawak Civil Service.

According to a statement, the programme was developed by the Sarawak Civil Service Digitalisation Unit (SCSDU) and organised by SCOPE, with the first cohort targeting 80 participants consisting of Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) and Assistant Chief Digital Officers (ACDOs) from Sarawak Government ministries, departments and agencies.

“As a flagship initiative, the programme builds on the Sarawak Civil Service’s ongoing digital capability agenda and marks the next phase in strengthening officers’ ability to understand, use and govern AI in a practical, responsible and policy-aligned manner.

“It is designed as a strategic course, focusing on AI leadership, workplace productivity, responsible use, professional judgement, data and evidence, and the adoption of Adam AI, Sarawak Government’s on-premise AI platform,” it said on Thursday.

The course also introduces the Revisit, Rethink and ReCharge (3R) framework as a strategic thinking framework for AI-enabled government work.

Through this approach, officers are encouraged to revisit existing assumptions, rethink how government challenges are addressed, and recharge the delivery of public services through more structured, responsible and outcome-driven use of AI.

Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Operation) and Chief Digital Officer of the Sarawak Government Datu Hii Chang Kee emphasised that AI must be used to strengthen instead of replacing human judgement.

“AI is not a replacement for human judgement. AI is not a tool for us to accept every output without question. AI is a tool to help us think in a more structured way, work more efficiently, and explore options more widely.

“The final decision, professional judgement, public service values, ethics, fairness, accountability, and the public interest must remain with human officers. Critical thinking and higher-order thinking must remain with us. We use AI to augment human capability, not to surrender human responsibility to machines,” he said.

Meanwhile, SCSDU Director Datu Grace Huong said the programme supports the strategic direction of the Sarawak Government under the Sarawak 13th Malaysia Plan, particularly the agenda to strengthen digital capabilities within the Sarawak Civil Service.

She highlighted that AI adoption in government must be anchored on capability building, responsible governance and service delivery outcomes, not technology adoption for its own sake.

The two-day programme covers key areas including global and local AI use cases in government, responsible AI use, professional judgement, strategic decision-making, data and evidence validation, and leading responsible AI adoption within departments and agencies.

The statement noted that participants will also take part in practical group exercises using AI tools to support government-related tasks such as summarising, drafting, comparing documents, policy analysis, scenario planning, risk identification and developing recommendations aligned with Sarawak Government priorities.

“Following the first cohort for CDOs and ACDOs, the programme is expected to be further rolled out to different groups of officers across the Sarawak Civil Service, including various officer grades and heads of departments.

“This phased implementation aims to build a wider AI-literate public service workforce that can use AI responsibly, productively and in line with Sarawak’s digital government direction.

“This programme also builds on the Sarawak Civil Service’s ongoing digital literacy journey. Last year, 98 percent of the SCS workforce, involving more than 19,220 officers and staff, completed the online training modules ‘AI untuk Rakyat’ and ‘Defence Against Phishing’.” it said.

This year, SCS continues to strengthen digital capability through the roll-out of the Digital Literacy Assessment via SCS SmartGov, tailored specifically to the needs of the Sarawak Civil Service workforce as part of continuous digital literacy upskilling.

The Government AI Mastery Programme reflects the Sarawak Civil Service’s commitment to its Digital First, Future Ready direction, ensuring that officers are equipped not only to use AI, but to lead its adoption with judgement, accountability and public interest at the centre. -UKASnews