KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Women should utilise information and communications technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to maximise their potential and presence in the digital industries.
In fact, YTL Communications chief executive officer Wing K. Lee said it is paramount for young women to participate in the digital landscape, especially with today’s Internet accessibility.
“My advice (for women) is to keep using the Internet, stay curious, stay hungry (for knowledge), get up to speed, and be good at using AI because AI will not take over your job, but the person who knows how to use AI will.
“With the power of the Internet and the equal right to access it, they can use the Internet to learn and gain resources. The key to the use of AI is not so much on hard skill in the sense that we have to build the next AI, but to be very good at using AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini.”
Wing said this to Bernama after being a panellist in a dialogue on ‘Digital Literacy and Skill Development in ICT as Careers Among Young Women’ at the Girls in ICT Forum 2024, organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) here on Thursday.
The dialogue was moderated by MCMC chief technology and innovation officer Shamsul Izhan Abdul Majid. Other panellists were Maybank group chief digital officer Kalyani Nair and Maxis chief information officer Ng May Ching.
About the forum, Wing said such initiatives are crucial to create awareness among young women about the importance of their safety and participation in the ICT and AI industries.
“Awareness creation is something we must do, we must invest as a country, and I applaud the good effort done by the ministry and MCMC to drive this awareness,” he said while noting that women's participation in the AI sector is also crucial for a successful deployment of the technology.
Sharing the same view, senior lecturer of art and science at the International University of Malaya-Wales, Dr Abdul Rahim said media literacy and skills in ICT are essential for everyone, including young women, to fulfil the needs of the current digitalised job market.
Meanwhile, GX Bank head of data Caroline Chong opined that employers should provide a safe space for women to progress in their careers.
“The most important is the mental aspect. It must be a safe place so that it doesn’t force them (women) to choose between their career, family, or responsibility as a mother, wife, or family member.
“Safe, in the cultural sense, is to provide the freedom for any women in the organisation to be able to surface out their challenges without having any sort of prejudice against them,” she told Bernama after another dialogue titled ‘Bridging the Gender Gap in Technology: Breaking the Convention’.
The Girls in ICT Forum 2024, which attracted an audience of 300 participants, including industry leaders, guests, and university students, is part of MCMC's broader initiative aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, focussing on literacy, social empowerment, and expanding opportunities within Malaysia’s technology landscape.
-- BERNAMA
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