From left: Prof Dr Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim, Chief Digital Officer's Office (CDO), Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Sulong Matjeraie, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prof Dr Fitri Suraya Mohamad Hapni Joblie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) and Dr Kartini Abd Ghani, Director, Centre for Applied Learning and Multimedia (CALM), Vice-Chancellor's wife Professor Dr Ramlah binti Zainudin, Prof Dr Lo May Chiun, Senior Director, Research, Innovation and Enterprise Centre (RIEC).
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) launched the Seminar on AI in Higher Education and officially inaugurated the UNIMAS AI Hub, AI Webinar Series, and Research Excellence Coffee Table Book at the DeTAR Putra Area Gemilang hall.
The establishment of the UNIMAS AI Hub represents a significant milestone, demonstrating the university’s dedication to integrating and advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) across all facets of its culture. The AI Hub aims to facilitate the strategic alignment and optimisation of AI within the UNIMAS academic ecosystem, in line with the Amanat Naib Cancelor 2024. It is anticipated to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among academic staff from various faculties, thereby enhancing UNIMAS’ capacity to secure research grants.
The event was officiated by the esteemed Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit, with special guests including Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Sulong Matjeraie, Chairman of the Board of Directors, UNIMAS, Prof Dr Fitri Suraya Mohamad Hapni Joblie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), Prof Dr Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim, Chief Digital Officer (CDO), Prof Dr Lo May Chiun, Senior Director, Research, Innovation and Enterprise Centre (REIC), and Dr Kartini Abd Ghani, Director, Centre for Applied Learning and Multimedia (CALM).
Also in attendance were deans, directors, academicians, administrstion officers, and students from various faculties.
In his opening remarks, Prof Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit highlighted that the integration of AI into instruction and learning activities would enhance the learning experiences at UNIMAS. He also noted that the AI Hub would explore incorporating AI elements into administrative tasks to improve efficiency. The AI Hub will offer workshops, seminars, and training programmes to equip academic staff, administrative staff, and students with essential AI skills, providing hands-on experiences and mentorship in areas such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.
The Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FCSIT) and the Faculty of Cognitive Science and Human Development (FCSHD) will establish AI labs to facilitate the optimal utilisation of AI by students and researchers. Additionally, the infrastructure at the Tun Abang Haji Openg Digital Centre (TAHODC) will be enhanced to support AI-related research and innovations.
Prof Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit emphasised that the curriculum would be continuously reviewed to incorporate the latest advancements in AI, including topics such as responsible AI, bias issues, and ethics in AI. He stressed the importance of aligning AI with societal values, reflecting the richness of the global community, and reiterated the university’s commitment to responsible AI.
In conjunction with the launch of the AI Hub, an AI Webinar Series for 2024 and 2025 was also announced. This series aims to encourage knowledge exchange and provide a forum for discussing practical insights on AI implementation at UNIMAS.
UNIMAS expressed gratitude to Professor Naomie Salim from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for her keynote speech on “AI in Higher Education: Transformative Opportunities and Challenges.” The seminar, moderated by Chuah Kee Man from the Faculty of Education, Language, and Communication UNIMAS, is part of an ongoing series organised by CALM and the UNIMAS Learning Centre (ULC) to facilitate the implementation of AI in the academic environment.
The launch also included the unveiling of the Research Excellence Coffee Table Book, titled “UNIMAS Research Excellence: A Colourful Journey of Research and Innovation,” which showcases UNIMAS’ research achievements and celebrates the efforts of its researchers. The book highlights the university’s research niche areas, national and international exhibition achievements, commercialisation efforts, and community and industry engagement.
In addition to the insightful discussions and launches, the event featured a special cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit, who was joined on stage by his wife, Professor Dr Ramlah binti Zainudin.
The event was a collaborative effort between the Chief Digital Officer’s Office (CDO), CALM, RIEC, TAHODC, Semarak Kreatif from the Faculty of Applied & Creative Arts, FCSIT, FCSHD, and the UNIMAS Leadership Centre (ULC).
Photos by Fitzpatrick Anak Ricky Guing, Centre for Applied Learning & Multimedia