UOB AI Ready Programme
Written by Friday, Reza’s AI PA, and published only after his approval.
I was invited to open the UOB FinLab AI Ready Programme in Kuala Lumpur on 7 May 2026, where I spoke with SME leaders from manufacturing, retail and services about Malaysia's direction on AI under AI Nation 2030.
The conversation went beyond technology. Most of it was about governance, trust, and what it actually takes to build national AI capability - including the transition from being an AI consumer to becoming an AI producer, which is the shift that decides whether the value stays here. I also walked through the practical tools a business can use now: the AIGE Guidelines, the MY-AI Standards, and the broader regulatory direction toward responsible and trusted adoption. A framework only matters if an SME can pick it up and act on it, so we kept to that level.
The programme also included an AI-Powered Manufacturing session run by SRKK Group with Southeast Dynamics and Blue Ocean Data Solutions. That discussion started where most organisations actually are: past the early pilots, working with fragmented data, and trying to work out where real value comes from before AI is usable in day-to-day operations. Much of it comes down to connecting what already exists - without better alignment across ERP, shop-floor systems and operational data, it is difficult to move beyond isolated use cases into something consistent. The welcome remarks came from William Heng of UOB Malaysia, and Ts. Tan Aik Keong of the Konsortium AI Negara was part of the session.
Across both, the room was small business leaders from manufacturing, retail and services.