Use AI But Don't Abandon Reading And Critical Thinking - PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- The use of artificial intelligence (AI) can be greatly beneficial in learning if students do not abandon the culture of reading and critical thinking in their pursuit of knowledge, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister said that, in this regard, students should not rely entirely on AI but instead use it as a new tool to enhance the knowledge they acquire.

“You can rely on AI, but don’t abandon the basics. You have to read, learn and think critically to fully benefit from AI. Over-reliance on AI can lead to us not reading (books) anymore and finding all answers on Google. But the answers on Google are summaries and conclusions.

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“What we are not doing is reading. Reading is about delving into books, seeing the entirety of thought; we don’t just take a single piece of knowledge,” he said during the “Temu Anwar” programme at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) here today.

Also present were Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and UPNM vice-chancellor Lt Gen Datuk Mardzuki Muhammad.

According to the Prime Minister, aside from considering the information or content generated by AI, the context of that output also plays an important role.

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He explained that while AI-generated content may be accurate, it does not necessarily mean that the context of the information is also correct.

“It doesn’t mean that the information (from AI) is wrong, but sometimes the context isn’t right. In anything, including studying the Quran, there’s the text (content) and context, the verses, interpretation and analysis. From the start, we are trained in what’s called translation and interpretation,” he said.

Anwar also addressed some individuals’ over-reliance on devices or gadgets, noting that this issue isn’t new but has been recognised since the 1980s with the advent of computers.

He explained that dependence on gadgets cannot replace human values and relationships with parents, family and friends, which are affected by overuse of these devices.

"Thinkers of that time (the 1980s) in the field of education had already warned, concerned that young people would only rely on gadgets and abandon the culture of reading," he said.

During the event, Zambry stated that the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) has decided to implement AI across universities, starting with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

He said this approach is aimed at ensuring students do not fall behind in learning the technology within their studies.

“The question is how we want to foster deep learning because there are two possibilities. When we go into AI, we will go into deep learning.

“But there’s a danger, which is deep fakes. We think something is true, but it actually isn’t. This is a challenge for the education sector, (and we are making) preparations at the MOHE level,” he said.

-- BERNAMA