Technological Advancement Must Be Grounded In Ethics, Values -- Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Technological advancement, including artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, must be guided by ethics, culture and societal values to ensure meaningful and sustainable progress, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 

He said discussions on the future should not be confined to algorithms, computing power or economic outcomes alone, but must also incorporate philosophy, history and moral considerations.

“In other words, the advancement of technology must be in lockstep with the humanities, morality, and theology to read the signal that should be in the future,” he said in his keynote address at the International Future Conference 2026 at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuala Lumpur campus here today.

Anwar stressed that for Malaysia, technological advancement must never be or become detached from the society it is meant to serve.

He said Malaysia should pursue the capability with confidence, but never at the expense of detachment, dignity, or a clear sense of who we are becoming in the process.

The Prime Minister also called for a more holistic approach to future studies, drawing from Islamic intellectual traditions where science, philosophy and ethics were historically integrated.

He said Malaysia must ensure that its push towards becoming a technology-driven economy remains people-centric and inclusive.

Under the theme “Shaping the Future Through Knowledge, Innovation, and Civilisational Leadership”, the two-day conference focuses on the rapidly evolving global changes and challenges, including artificial intelligence (AI), the digital economy, space technology, climate change, the energy transition, and socioeconomic governance.

-- BERNAMA