PUTRAJAYA — MyDIGITAL Corporation and Pepper Labs are expanding inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) learning through Rakyat Digital by connecting the national Digital Learning Hub with Dapur Digital’s community hubs to help more Malaysians gain practical AI skills.
The collaboration, formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchanged at the AI-Ready Malaysia Summit 2026 on Aug 14, combines MyDIGITAL Corporation’s national coordination, structured learning pathways and digital access with Pepper Labs’ community reach and experience delivering programmes in Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) communities.
It supports Malaysia’s aspiration to become an AI Nation by 2030 under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13), the Malaysia Digital 2030 (MD2030) Action Plan and the National AI Action Plan 2026-2030.
MyDIGITAL Corporation chief executive officer Adrian Marcellus said the country’s AI ambition could only be realised if people were able to use the technology confidently and responsibly to improve their lives and livelihoods.
“Malaysia’s AI Nation ambition will be realised not by technology alone, but by whether people can use it confidently and responsibly to improve their lives and livelihoods.
“This partnership connects the national scale of Rakyat Digital with the community reach of Dapur Digital, showing how collaboration can turn awareness into access and access into meaningful adoption, especially for communities that may not be reached by online learning alone,” he said.
Rakyat Digital, an initiative of the Ministry of Digital implemented by MyDIGITAL Corporation, uses a 3A approach — Awareness, Access and Adoption — to help Malaysians develop foundational digital and AI knowledge, access learning opportunities and recognised certifications, and apply digital tools in practical settings.
Through Dapur Digital, a community entrepreneurship initiative by Pepper Labs, the partnership will bring Rakyat Digital’s learning opportunities into community spaces.
Dapur Digital transforms underutilised spaces in PPR communities into economic and learning hubs, providing training, shared facilities, market access and digital capabilities to support women micro-entrepreneurs and local communities in developing sustainable businesses and improving livelihoods.
The initiative will strengthen each stage of the 3A approach by creating awareness through guided learning and local engagement, expanding access to Rakyat Digital courses and certifications, and supporting adoption by helping micro-entrepreneurs and community businesses identify practical applications for digital and AI tools.
The partnership will also support broader AI upskilling efforts under Pepper Labs’ AI-Ready Malaysia initiative, with selected programmes expected to be featured on Rakyat Digital’s Digital Skills Hub.
Supported through the AI Opportunity Fund for Asia-Pacific, implemented by AVPN with support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the initiative aims to strengthen AI capabilities among up to 50,000 Malaysians, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), university students and educators.
Pepper Labs will complement digital learning programmes to help accelerate AI literacy and responsible AI adoption nationwide.
The partnership is also aimed at ensuring that Malaysians and businesses can participate in, contribute to and benefit from AI as the country works towards becoming an inclusive and sustainable AI Nation by 2030.
Malaysians seeking to strengthen their digital and AI capabilities can explore learning opportunities available through Rakyat Digital, including complimentary access to Coursera’s course catalogue for eligible participants.
More information is available at Rakyat Digital’s website.
—Bernama
