1) MAJECA-PIKOM-ASOCIO Cybersecurity Webinar: “How Safe Are You Online” held on 18 August 2021 Via Microsoft Teams
The Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) and CyberSecurity Malaysia, supported a webinar on cybersecurity hosted over Microsoft Teams, titled “How Safe Are You Online?”, on 18th August 2021 jointly organised by the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), in collaboration with the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM), the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO). 200 participants registered of which 130 logged on. The participants came from various business sectors, universities, organisations, and government agencies from Malaysia, Japan, Korea and from the developing countries (incl. Bangladesh, Bosnia, Chile, Guinea, Taiwan and Thailand).
More and more businesses of all sizes and sectors are embracing the ‘digitalisation imperative’ to remain competitive and resilient. In this current IR4.0 era and exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, business systems, processes and data have to be constantly updated and to remain relevant.
The ongoing digital transformation, pivots on investments into the adoption of new technologies, processes and automation. The increasing integration of digitised data-driven services, while improving business resilience and function, has also exposed users to new areas of vulnerability.
This webinar addressed these vulnerabilities and featured experts, institutions and solution providers from across Japan, Korea and Malaysia to holistically inform and equip participants on aspects of cybersecurity from industry, practitioner and legal standpoints.
The webinar began with welcoming addresses from the leadership of MAJECA, PIKOM and ASOCIO after being introduced by the emcee.
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) & Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA), delivering his welcome address.
Mr Danny Lee, Chairman of The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM), giving his welcome address.
Mr David Wong, Chairman of Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO), giving his welcome address.
Mr Ong Kian Yew, Chief Executive Officer, National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) as the emcee of the webinar.
Following that, a report on the collaborative venture of ASEAN – Japan Cybersecurity Project was delivered by the representatives of Japan IT Services Industry Association (JISA), in which they announced the launching of a new initiative called Cybersecurity Business Platform (CBP) that will help businesses in ASEAN region to overcome cybersecurity attacks.
Mr Takeshi Miyamoto, President of Japan IT Services Industry Association (JISA) delivering his greetings and introducing JISA and its activities.
Ms Ruy Hayashi, Japan IT Services Industry Association (JISA), the International Coordinator for ASEAN – Japan Cybersecurity Project introducing a new JISA intiative to support businesses titled ASEAN-CBP (ASEAN – Cybersecurity Business Platform) @ https://asean-cbp.org.
The discussion on the topic of the importance of cybersecurity and how having a cybersecurity strategy can ensure business continuity, was moderated by Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, CEO of CyberSecurity Malaysia. Joining alongside him was a distinguished panel comprising industry, practitioner and legal experts in the field of cybersecurity.
Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, CEO, CyberSecurity Malaysia, the session moderator.
The panelists were as follows:
Mr Alex Loh, Chairman of PIKOM Cybersecurity Chapter &Country Manager of Fortinet Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
Mr John Choi, Deputy Chairman of Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) & Founder of MarkAny Inc.
Ms Janet Toh, Partner of M/S Shearn Delamore & Co.
Following the presentations by the speakers, the webinar proceeded into a panel discussion-cum-Q&A session led once more by Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab. The panelists discussed the following:
• The complexity of cyberthreats today that is becoming more intelligent, borderless and faceless engaging in malware and phishing tactics. As COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the push towards all things digital, there is a need to invest in cybersecurity solutions to manage our business digital infrastructures and to ringfence them against such crimes.
• Mr Alex Loh highlighted the struggles of hiring cybersecurity professionals due to the lack of talents that specialize in this field. Hence, the need to develop these talents by providing training and education from university level. There are also opportunities for organisations to provide cybersecurity training and programmes to increase awareness among the general workforce. He also encouraged organisations to undertake cybersecurity assessments and invest in appropriate cybersecurity solutions.
• Mr John Choi opined that existing cybersecurity solutions may not be enough to combat cyber threats that is increasingly becoming more intelligent and sophisticated with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Therefore, a multi-layered defense must be deployed. The first layer of prevention engaging traditional technology such as Firewalls can be augmented by a second layer e.g. data encryption. A third and emerging cybersecurity technology i.e. tracing technology, can now trace the source of the cyberattack. He also touched on the topic of ensuring data and privacy protection by using homomorphic encryption – a technology that allows us to perform statistical analysis over encrypted data on a larger scale.
• Ms Janet Toh touched on the issue of cyberattacks becoming increasingly sophisticated and the rise of ransomware and phishing exploits through machine learning. The accelerated digitisation is caused by many organisations having to adapt to remote/hybrid work models due to the pandemic situation. Work-from-home employees have to rely on their own personal devices, removable storage devices, whilst some companies have started using cloud servers and had to quickly approve new software. This situation exposes organisations to data risks because work-from-home employees are all in different locations, operating from different networks, not working with the organization’s perimeter network on multiple devices. Ms Janet Toh’s slides can be accessed here.
• The webinar brought to light the procedures for individuals or an organisation to follow when their digital identity and data e.g.: user ID, passwords, banking details – is hacked. The suggested procedures include, amongst others, shutting down the organisation’s network, perform forensic analysis to recover the data loss and investing in insurance. For individuals, the best step is to alert and warn close family members and friends regarding the threat and not to respond to any unusual requests on one’s devices.
• Dato’ Ts. Dr Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab – highlighted the need for an improved regulatory framework, the importance of collaboration between the government and private sectors as well as academia. CyberSecurity Malaysia also provides a platform – MyCERT’s Cyber999 Help Centre – to report data breaches incidents whether it is individual or organisational issues.
Dato’ Ts. Dr Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, the session moderator, wrapped up the webinar with the following closing remarks:
• The need to conduct audits to understand the value of the data and information and data channels within each organisation, thereby enabling decision-makers to evaluate the optimal cybersecurity strategy to employ.
• Cybersecurity solutions (especially at the enterprise-level) needs to develop a multi-layered defence and preventive system to defend against the borderless cyber threats that is evolving to be more accessible, intelligent and creative.
• The importance of facilitating and investing in cybersecurity from a holistic standpoint to increase awareness among the general workforce at the people-level; at the process-level, instituting sound cybersecurity policies and frameworks; and at the technology-level recognising that cyber criminals are evolving with the advent of more IR4.0 technologies such as AI, video-cloning etc. Therefore, it is important to keep abreast with new cybersecurity technologies and infrastructures that are interdisciplinary and adaptive.
The following were a few photos snapped at the webinar by the MASSA Secretariat:
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, MASSA & MAJECA delivering his welcome address.
From top-left, clockwise: Ms Janet Toh, Dato’ Ts. Dr Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Mr Masayuki Osuka (another representative from JISA) Mr Alex Loh and Mr John Choi during panel discussion.
A group photo of the role-players at the end of the webinar .
2) MASSA-MyAIRA Preparatory Meeting with H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia on 2 September 2021
A preparatory meeting between MASSA, the Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA) and the Embassy of Chile to Malaysia represented by H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Chile to Malaysia, and Sr Eduardo Callejas M., Counsellor was held virtually on 2 September 2021.
MASSA was represented by Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary and Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive while MyAIRA was represented by Mr Yong Chong Soon, President and Ms Hanniz Lam, Communications Director met with His Excellency to introduce MyAIRA and to discuss collaboration with the Embassy of Chile in Malaysia to organise the MASSA-MyAIRA-MAJECA Webinar on Drones on 13 October 2021.
From top-left, clockwise: Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MASSA, Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MASSA, Sr Eduardo Callejas M., Counsellor, Embassy of Chile in Malaysia, Ms Hanniz Lam, Communications Director, MyAIRA, H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Chile to Malaysia and Mr Yong Chong Soon, President, MyAIRA.
3) MASSA-MyAIRA-ERA Webinar on Cybersecurity – “Cyber-Attack Prevention for Consumers and Enterprises” on 4 October 2021
The Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) collaborated with the Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA), the Expertise Resource Association (ERA) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), to organise a webinar on cybersecurity, titled “Cyber-Attack Prevention for Consumers and Enterprises” on 4 October 2021.
More than 100 participants, from various business sectors and organisations, logged in from Malaysia, Chile, Japan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos and Singapore for this event.
In today’s globally digitised world, the amount of data accessed, utilised and shared across complex networks continues to grow. The ongoing pandemic has accelerated communities and businesses to utilise these digital platforms which, in turn, can exacerbate the rise of cyber-attacks, ranging from phishing, malware, ransomware and many more.
As we increasingly become more digitalised in our businesses and daily life with the gaining prevalence of tele-working, we face a wider exposure towards cybersecurity threats that are becoming more intelligent and insidious.
Enterprises need to protect the trust of their stakeholders. A sound cybersecurity strategy thus requires not only the right technologies to be in place, but also consumers’ awareness on how their data can be compromised.
This webinar aimed to highlight these cybersecurity risks, the strategies and accessible solutions that can be relevant to enterprises and consumers.
The webinar programme was as follows:
The webinar began with welcoming addresses from the leadership of MASSA-MAJECA and MyAIRA after being introduced by the emcee.
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) & Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), delivering his welcome address.
Mr Yong Chong Soon, President, Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA), giving his welcome address.
Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, Malaysian South-South Association (MASSA) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) was the emcee of the webinar.
The discussion on the topic of cybersecurity risks, the strategies and accessible solutions that may be relevant to enterprises and consumers was moderated by Ms Hanniz Lam, Communications Director of MyAIRA (pic below). Joining alongside her was a distinguished panel comprising of experts in the field of cybersecurity.
The panelists were as follows:
Ms Jacqueline Jayne, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4, Inc.
Mr Hon Fun Ping, CEO of NetAssist (M) Sdn Bhd
Mr Wong Diing Shiang, Digital Business Development Manager at i5c Digital Sdn Bhd
Following the presentations by the speakers, the webinar proceeded into a panel discussion-cum-Q & A session led once more by Ms Hanniz Lam.
From top-left, clockwise: Ms Jacqueline Jayne, Mr Hon Fun Ping, Ms Hanniz Lam (moderator) and Mr Wong Diing Shiang.
The panelists discussed the following:
• Ms Jacqueline Jayne highlighted the human error in handling cybersecurity policies. She reported that using common information such as birthdates as passwords is still prevalent among users all over the world, and how information such as these can be easily acquired by users with ill-intentions. She touched on the root of deception, explaining cybercriminals’ strategy to manipulate their targets. Cybercriminals manipulates the OODA (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act) loop – a model of decision making. These OODA loop helps our brain filter and interpret information before taking an action. However, scam artists are able to hijack this loop by creating a knee-jerk situation that effectively bypasses the first three steps and reach straight to ‘Action’. This pushes the targets to act out of urgency or fear, and therefore falling for the scam. She emphasized that the human element in business can be inevitable and users should find a way to verify, such as through official and legitimate websites, to identify if the other party can be trusted.
• Mr Hon Fun Ping highlighted the vulnerabilities and weakness of current cybersecurity technologies. He noted that while firewall is good at preventing external intrusion, it cannot detect malicious activities from within the system. In view of this, it takes a long time for one to determine or notice that one’s accounts and devices have been compromised. He recommended a strategy to always assume that you have been breached, and to always remain alert. He shared that today, as many cybersecurity solutions are in the market, decision-makers should consider hiring cybersecurity services of vendors who practice cybersecurity from a holistic standpoint i.e., by recognising the intertwined relationship of people, processes and technology.
• Mr Wong Diing Shiang provided interesting insights on the types of cyber threats and concerns that both enterprises and consumers commonly face, such as the bank account & credit card information and users’ privacy. He especially focused on those who operate in the field of e-Commerce as vendors. He explained the technical architecture behind some of the common cyber threats that e-Commerce vendors and consumers currently face. Then, he shared cybersecurity solutions and best practices that can protect enterprises/vendors and consumers.
Mr Wong Lian Kee (pic above), President of Expertise Resource Association (ERA), wrapped up the webinar with his closing remarks highlighting:
• The need to understand the common threads of deceptive practices, and how we tend to filter, interpret the things we see and how we react to issues in an emotional-charged manner like curiosity, urgency, greed, fear and helpfulness which may create mental blind spots that can be exploited by bad faith actors. • The need for people, process and technology to be aligned, constantly reviewed and updated, in order to stay ahead of the threats and possible attacks. • The importance of strong cybersecurity system to be in place by investing in the best solutions and practices to mitigate cyber-attacks, protect the trust and confidence between the enterprises and its customers and consumers.
4) Virtual Courtesy Call on Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President of MASSA by H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia on 6 October 2021
H.E. Diego Velasco von Pilgrimm, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia made a courtesy call on President of MASSA, Tan Sri Azman Hashim virtually on 6 October 2021.
His Excellency was accompanied by Mr Vincente Pinto, Investment Commissioner for Asia, InvestChile and with them members of the Embassy of Chile in Malaysia, namely, Mr Eduardo Calleja, Mr Juan Alonso Gutiérrez, Ms Ana Belen Bueno.
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, MASSA was accompanied by Datuk Lee Teck Yuen, Hon. Secretary, MASSA, alongside members of the MASSA Secretariat including Ms Ng Su Fun, Ms Phoon Thye Ling and Mr Samuel Loh.
From top-left, clockwise:
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, MASSA, H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Chile to Malaysia, Datuk Lee Teck Yuen, Hon. Secretary, MASSA, Mr Vincente Pinto, Investment Commissioner for Asia, InvestChile, Mr Juan Alonso Gutiérrez, Embassy of Chile to Malaysia, Ms Ana Belen Bueno, Embassy of Chile to Malaysia, Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MASSA, Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MASSA and Ms Phoon Thye Ling, Accounts Manager, MASSA
The meeting discussed amongst others, the three decades of business ties and cooperation MASSA and its investment associate, the Malaysian South-South Corporation Berhad (MASSCORP) had with its counterparts in Chile.
His Excellency invited MASSA to focus on some sectors where Chile has made good strides and can offer collaborative opportunities to Malaysia, as a launchpad for Latin American joint investments into the ASEAN region. These include:
• Green Hydrogen and Renewable Energy initiatives
• The potential of its Dairy Industry & Food Security
• 5G and its Optic Cable connections between Chile & Australia, spinning off myriad possibilities for ASEAN.
• Water resources management, especially in areas of recovery of non-revenue water, aging water infrastructure and the impact of climate change.
5) MASSA-MyAIRA-MAJECA Webinar on Drones – “Opportunities in the Drone Industry” on 13 October 2021
The Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) collaborated with the Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA), Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), the Expertise Resource Association (ERA), Invest Selangor and the Embassy of Chile in Malaysia to organise a webinar on drones, titled “Opportunities in the Drone Industry” on 13 October 2021.
Over 100 participants from various business sectors and countries including Malaysia, Chile, Japan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Singapore and Turkey registered for this event.
The drone industry growth has been steadily rising in the last few years. It is estimated that by the year 2025, the drone services market size will be expected to grow to US$63.6 billion (Business Insider, 2021).
Drones as a tool, is gaining momentum not just among hobbyists, but also professionals looking to integrate drones into their organization’s workflow. This is because the drones’ ability to fly unmanned and even fully autonomously allows them to perform certain labour-intensive tasks much cheaper, faster and, safer than any human can.
Drone technology can be applied across multiple sectors and can be engaged in agriculture, construction, security, surveying, marketing, photography & videography, and many more.
This webinar discussed the uses of autonomous drone technology, potential for talent development in the drone industry and opportunities abroad – with the country of Chile as the case study.
The webinar programme was as follows:
The webinar began with welcoming addresses from the leadership of MASSA-MAJECA and MyAIRA, followed by the Ambassador of Chile.
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) & Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), delivering his welcome address.
Mr Yong Chong Soon, President, Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA), giving his welcome address.
H.E. Diego Velasco-von Pilgrimm, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, giving his welcome address and announcing the signing of an MoU between APANT Chile and MyAIRA.
Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, Malaysian South-South Association (MASSA) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) was the emcee of the webinar.
Mr Jamie Haniff bin Ramlee, the Director of Selangor Darul Ehsan Aerospace Industry Coordination Office (S-DAICO) Division, Invest Selangor (pic below) moderated the panel comprising of experts in the drone industry.
The panelists were as follows:
Dr Shian Lee, CEO, Alphaswift Sdn Bhd
Mr Amsyar Faiz, Director of Business Development, OFO Tech Sdn Bhd
Mr Iván Araos Mansilla, Head of External Affairs, Association of Pilots of Unmanned Aircraft (APANT), Chile
Following the presentations by the speakers, the webinar proceeded to a panel discussion-cum-Q & A session led once more by Mr Jamie Haniff bin Ramlee.
The panelists discussed the following:
• Dr Shian Lee’s presentation highlighted the possible uses of autonomous drones in various settings, and how drones can be easily adapted to suit the needs of their user. He addressed problems such as the shortage of manpower, the dangers of lofty infrastructure inspection as well as transportation difficulties to deliver humanitarian aid. He emphasized that drones like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) can be the solution to these problems. He also introduced several types of drones and their uses such as unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that implement adaptive nozzles for crop-spraying, delivery UAVs for food delivery services, 3D-mapping drones and many more.
• Mr Amsyar Faiz showcased combination of IR4.0 solutions, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, drones, remote sensors, Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and Industrial IoT technologies that can be applied in various sectors. The data captured by drones equipped with thermal sensor can be processed with the help of AI and AR/VR to output information with high precision in both 2D and 3D images. This can be utilized in scaling accurate measurements, track task compliance, crop performance, topography etc.
• Mr Iván Araos, the Head of External Affairs of Association of Pilots of Unmanned Aircraft (APANT), gave a report on the status of investment in cutting-edge drone technologies in Chile and the Latin American region. He highlighted how data processing drones and 5G can contribute success in the field of agriculture, mining, space exploration, and many more. He also reported that APANT is currently developing effective air-safety drones that can protect the citizens’ privacy as well as minimizing the environmental impact. APANT is also looking at implementing drones in its Smart Cities’ ecosystem, such as in telecommunications, aerotaxi, entertainment, healthcare, traffic etc. Mr Iván then highlighted the challenges on how to legalise the usage of these unmanned machines going forward. They are now working closely with the Government of Chile to implement a flexible regulatory framework for piloting aerial drones to ensure smooth development in this unmanned aircraft sector
Major Surenthiran Krishnan (pic above), from MyAIRA and Head of Training Wing for Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers in Army Institute of Communication and Electronics in Malaysian Armed Forces, wrapped up the webinar with his closing remarks highlighting:
• The drone industry continues to grow over the years. The hardware and software in manufacturing these drones are becoming more affordable, and will be more evidently prevalently used across all sectors. The opportunities offered by drones can be a future economic growth driver.
• The deployment of drones is vital in addressing shortage of manpower such as in smart-farming, dangerous and expensive infrastructure inspections as well as challenging deliveries for humanitarian emergency aid. The drone data capture can be processed into various data outputs, including but not limited to orthomosaics/point cloud/reality mesh/ augmented reality etc. and these outputs can be used for various applications in different sectors.
• The importance of developing and adhering to the standards and regulations set by the government in piloting these aircraft drones. It is also important that managers and operators of these aerial drones must be competent, responsible and well-trained to perform their tasks.
6) Meeting with InvestPerak on 2 November 2021
A meeting between InvestPerak and MASSA was held on 2 November 2021 in the MASSA Secretariat Office.
Attendees from InvestPerak:
• En Izran Abdullah, CEO
• Dr Ahmad Shahir Abdul Aziz, Senior Manager, InvestPerak & Special Officer to YB EXCO
• En Mohd Noor Arif Zakaria, Investor Relations Manager
Attendees from MASSA:
• Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary
• Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive
The meeting highlighted the investment thrusts of the state of Perak, and its SilverValley initiative, developing an “industrial corridor” that covers the entire state of Perak to attract investments in key sectors aimed at driving growth for the state (https://www.investperak.gov.my/silvervalley/). The meeting also discussed key areas of engagement and collaboration with MASSA for 2022.
From left-to-right: Dr Ahmad Shahir Abdul Aziz, Senior Manager, InvestPerak & Special Officer to YB EXCO; En Mohd Noor Arif Zakaria, Investor Relations Manager, Invest Perak; En Izran Abdullah, CEO, Invest Perak receiving a copy of MASSA and MASSCORP’s 27th Anniversary Book from MASSA presented by Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MASSA and Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MASSA.
7) High-tea with H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia on 5 November 2021
MASSA, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra) was invited for high-tea hosted by H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassdor of Chile to Malaysia and his wife, Dr Ambara Baratawidjaja at the Residence of the Ambassador of Chile on 5 November 2021 to witness the in-person signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) document by the Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA).
This follows the announcement of the MoU between MyAIRA and the Association of Pilots of Unmanned Aircraft (APANT) Chile at the MASSA-MyAIRA-MAJECA Webinar on Drones on 13 October which was supported by the Expertise Resource Association (ERA), InvestSelangor and the Embassy of Chile. MASSA was represented by Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary and Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive.
Presentation of the signed MoU document (from left-to-right): Ms Hanniz Lam, Communications Director, MyAIRA, H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassador of Chile to Malaysia, Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, Mr Yong Chong Soon, President, MyAIRA and Pn Najwa Musyrifah Ramli, Principal Assistant Secretary, Americas Division, Ministry of Foreign Affiars (Wisma Putra).
A group photo of representatives from MASSA, MyAIRA, the Ministry of Foreign Affiars (Wisma Putra) and the Embassy of Chile with H.E. Diego Velasco, Ambassdor of Chile and his wife, Dr Ambara Baratawidjaja.
8) Meeting with Investment Office of the Presidency of Turkey & Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of Turkey in Malaysia on 17 November 2021
A virtual meeting between Investment Office of the Presidency of Turkey and Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Turkey, based in Kuala Lumpur with MASSA was held on 17 November 2021.
The Investment Office is the official organization for promoting Turkey’s investment opportunities to the global business community and assisting investors before, during, and after their entry into Turkey (https://www.invest.gov.tr/en/pages/home-page.aspx).
This introductory meeting enabled both parties to meet each other and to discuss potential collaborative events to introduce opportunities for deepening Investment and Trade for MASSA members with counterparts in Turkey.
This meeting was made possible through the introduction and facilitation by Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
Attendees of this virtual meeting were as follows:
• Dr Bilal Ilhan, Country Advisor, Investment Office of the Presidency of Turkey
• Ms Elif Haliloglu Gungunes, Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of Turkey
• Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MASSA
• Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MASSA
• Ms Phoon Thye Ling, Accounts Manager, MASSA
From left-to-right (clockwise): Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, MASSA, Dr Bilal Ilhan, Country Advisor, Investment Office of the Presidency of Turkey, Mr Samuel Loh, Programme Executive, MASSA and Ms Elif Haliloglu Gungunes, Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of Turkey.
9) MASSA-MyAIRA-ERA-MAJECA Webinar on Robotics & AI – “How AI & Robotics Impacts Your Life” on 25 November 2021
The Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) collaborated with the Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA), the Expertise Resource Association (ERA) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) and the Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) to organise a webinar on AI & Robotics titled “How AI & Robotics Impacts Your Life” on 25 November 2021.
Over 175 participants from various business sectors and countries registered for this event including Malaysia, Chile, Japan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Singapore and Turkey.
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies have become an increasing presence in our daily life. With industrialisation, robots have played an important role across many sectors, improving efficiency and productivity.
Although still under development, AI, algorithms and technological applications, combined with proper implementation of ethics, diversity and inclusive design have given rise to an explosion of applications in many areas and into new realms. Now, the AI and robotics fields are working unanimously to provide advanced solutions that can benefit the general public and businesses significantly.
This webinar was aimed at introducing AI and Robotics technologies, its uses and applications to participants.
The webinar programme was as follows:
The webinar began with welcoming addresses from the leaderships of MASSA-MAJECA and MyAIRA after being introduced by the emcee.
Tan Sri Azman Hashim, President, Malaysia South-South Association (MASSA) & Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA), delivering his welcome address.
Mr Yong Chong Soon, President, Malaysian Autonomous Intelligence & Robotics Association (MyAIRA), giving his welcome address.
Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, Malaysian South-South Association (MASSA) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) was the emcee of the webinar.
The discussion on the applications and impact of AI & Robotics in daily life as well as for businesses was moderated by Ms Hanniz Lam, Communications Director, MyAIRA (pic below). Joining alongside her was a distinguished panel comprising of experts of AI & Robotics field.
The panelists were as follows:
Prof. Ts. Dr. Sim Yee Wai, Dean of the Faculty of Computing & Engineering, QUEST International University (QIU)
Mr Oliver Tian, Advisor, Asia Pacific Assistive Robotics Association (APARA)
Mr Soo Ho Hock MENG, COO, Avant Garde Centre of Excellence Sdn Bhd (AGCOE)
Ts. Dr. Chua Wen-Shyan, Head of Malaysian Smart Factory, Selangor Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC)
Following the presentations by the speakers, the webinar proceeded into a panel discussion-cum-Q & A session led once more by Ms Hanniz Lam.
The panelists discussed the following:
• Prof. Ts. Dr. Sim Yee Wai – shared on the Turing Test, a test to determine whether machines are capable of thinking like humans. He also provided a brief history of Artificial Intelligence (AI); the 1st Wave (Symbolic AI, 1950s – 1960s) and the 2nd Wave (Expert Systems, 1980s – 1990s), which were not really successful at solving real world problems as they were built based on human reasoning and knowledge. This is where the 3rd Wave, which is the Machine Learning (2010s – Present) comes in. Machine learning is based on the idea of how humans accumulate experiences and learning from trials and errors, so when we encounter a similar situation or problem, we can apply the same solution for it. Machine learning can be used to find the correlation between event features and results based on historical data, using data modelling which can help to classify data and contribute predictions for more accurate decision-making. Dr. Sim also advised that the next wave of AI will be a disruptive one and its impact on us will depend on our understanding about the technology and how we react to it.
• Mr Oliver Tian – Highlighted that the need to plan for collaboration between machines and humans for the future. AI & Robotics should be adopted to augment human capabilities and potential and AI projects does not have to be huge. He believed that AI-powered users will emerge soon, and that robotics plug-and-play is also on the rise. On the other hand, he underscored that we should consider the appropriate applications of the technology, and do not focus on the media hype on the fear of machines taking over humans’ jobs. Instead, we should aim to treat AI and machines as evolving digital co-workers that work alongside us and help us do things better. He believes that treating intelligent solutions as co-workers will make them a sustainable and reliable force in the future.
• Mr Soo Ho Hock MENG – Introduced collaborative robots (Cobots) which are the value proposition enabler in the IR4.0 tool kit, especially for SMEs to improve their processes, drive productivity, reduce dependence on labour intensity and provide the foundation for adoption of newer manufacturing technologies. These Cobots are highly cost effective and have successfully been incorporated into manufacturing processes. In one instance, to reduce cost, programming is very much simplified, with no proprietary codes, from Blockly to the common languages such as Lua, C, C++ and Python. This makes it easier to code once and deploy many times in multiple situations. Cobots also provide increased safety, speed and the ability to work 24/7 with minimal human intervention.
• Ts. Dr. Chua Wen-Shyan – Emphasized that successful AI Adoption begins with the first step. He recognises that the first step is always the hardest, but with the right people, skills, continuous development (training) and effort, the learning and adoption curve would be much smoother. There are many low and no-code AI platforms which are user friendly for citizen developers. Low code AI accelerates AI adoption in the community with increased productivity and implementation speed than traditional designs. Having a people-centric strategy would ensure the sustainability of AI adoption and companies would be able to realize the benefits sooner than expected. He highlighted Start Small and Scale Big as the key of transformation in adopting AI as the solutions in the industries.
Mr Wong Lian Kee, President of Expertise Resource Association (ERA) (pic above) wrapped up the webinar with his closing remarks, highlighting:
• Humans will have to co-exist with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machines going forward. Both AI and robotics must be adopted to further enhance human capabilities and potentials. • The applications, possibilities and its benefits should be seen in a positive light, as this technology powered by AI and robots will open up immense business opportunities, especially for SMEs. • AI and robotics technology is still an evolving instrument. The impact of the future AI and robotics evolution depends on how positively we will receive, react and utilize the technology.
The recording of this webinar hosted by SHRDC can be viewed here:
From top-left, clockwise:
Ms Ng Su Fun, Executive Secretary, Malaysian South-South Association (MASSA) and the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (MAJECA) was the emcee of the webinar.
