Abang Johari (third right) and distinguished guests officiating the event held in Kuching on Sept 23, 2026. Photo credit: Ukas

KUCHING, Sept 24: The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the civil service must be matched by strong integrity, human judgement and accountability, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said.

He warned that while AI can assist civil servants in finding solutions and processing information, its outputs must not be accepted uncritically as the technology lacks human wisdom and can be misused without proper safeguards.

“Continue using technology. Now we have AI, but don’t rely on AI 100 per cent because AI does not have wisdom,” he said.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Sarawak Land and Survey Innovation and Integrity Day (HIITS) 2026 here on Wednesday (Sept 23), Abang Johari said AI-generated information is shaped by programming, large language models, algorithms and the quality of prompts provided by users.

As such, civil servants must exercise judgement in assessing whether AI-generated data is accurate, relevant and appropriate before using it in decision-making.

He also stressed that integrity in the digital era extends beyond conventional concerns such as bribery and abuse of power, covering how data, technology and digital systems are managed.

“Without strong moral boundaries, powerful technologies risk being weaponised or misused,” he warned.

“That is why data integrity, cybersecurity, audit trails, managing conflicts of interest, and maintaining accountability in technological adoption, including AI, are critical,” he said.

Abang Johari added that maintaining these safeguards would be increasingly important as Sarawak’s public administration becomes more data-driven and technology-dependent. — DayakDaily