KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 – The Faculty of Artificial Intelligence (FAI), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), led the Artificial Intelligence Cluster at the ASEAN Higher Education Leadership Forum (ASHELF) 2025, held from 4–5 November 2025 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). Organized by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), ASHELF 2025 brought together leaders from across ASEAN to chart new directions for higher education in the digital age under the theme “Leading Higher Education in the AI Era: Innovation, Ethics, and Human-Centered Futures.”
The session, moderated by Prof. Dr. Bahbibi Rahmatullah of UPSI, featured prominent experts from leading Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) institutions and industries, including Prof. Dr. Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing, Director of CRADEL at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore; Dr. Nugraha Priya Utama, Head of AI Centre, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in Indonesia; Prof. Dato’ Mohamad Fauzan Noordin, Deputy Rector of International Islamic University (IIUM); and Warren Leow, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Supern8n, Chief Business Officer of TheLead.io, and founder of KAIN.
Prof. Dr. Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing emphasized that AI must empower, not replace, human educators. She highlighted several critical challenges, including the difficulty of scaling personalized learning approaches across diverse educational environments, the need for stronger research validation to support predictive and multimodal AI models, and the importance of ensuring data confidentiality and ethical handling of personal information. Her central message reminded educators that learning remains a fundamentally human experience grounded in empathy and emotional connection.
Dr. Nugraha Priya Utama stressed that AI should serve humanity rather than replace it. Drawing from Indonesia’s experience, he highlighted key barriers such as the infrastructure gap between urban and rural areas, uneven digital literacy across communities, resource limitations, and the complexity of addressing multiple local languages and dialects in artificial intelligence (AI) system development. His insights underscored the importance of building AI ecosystems that are inclusive, accessible, and reflective of the region’s linguistic and socio-economic diversity.
Prof. Dato’ Mohamad Fauzan bin Noordin offered a values-based perspective, arguing that Islamic education provides a moral compass for navigating the AI era. He raised concerns about the loss of the humanistic purpose of education when technology becomes overly dominant, as well as the identity and morality crisis that can emerge from excessive reliance on AI. He also highlighted risks of impaired critical and creative thinking, the declining trend of student outcomes worldwide despite higher educational spending, and the persistent “peopleware problem,” where human character and integrity remain the most crucial elements in ensuring ethical technology use. Embedding Madani values in AI culture means aligning technological initiatives with principles of sustainability, respect, innovation, prosperity, and trust. It emphasizes a community-centered approach, ethical leadership by example, and the development of AI solutions that foster collective progress while honoring diversity and integrity, as highlighted by Dato’ Fauzan.
Warren Leow discussed organizational transformation driven by AI and cautioned that the technology is expected to significantly reshape the workforce. He warned that many Malaysian white-collar workers may be affected due to the automation of low-value tasks, and stressed the importance of strong institutional leadership to maintain organizational consistency in AI terminology and understanding. Despite these challenges, he emphasized that AI is not eliminating human roles but rather pushing individuals to reach higher levels of creativity, imagination, and leadership.
Collectively, the speakers agreed that the future of higher education depends on responsible, ethical, and human-centered AI adoption. Rather than replacing human intelligence, AI should strengthen empathy, creativity, and innovation.
The Artificial Intelligence Cluster is one of six thematic clusters at ASHELF 2025, alongside Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, Young Academics, Plenary Health, and Technology and Vocational Education. The outcomes of ASHELF 2025 will contribute directly to the Common Space Roadmap 2026–2030, reinforcing ASEAN’s collective effort to position higher education as a driver of sustainable development and innovation.
FAI UTM’s involvement in leading the AI Cluster reflects its continued commitment to advancing responsible AI practices, fostering academic-industry collaboration, and strengthening Malaysia’s position in regional AI leaership.
Prepared by: Assoc. Prof. Dr Nor Raihana Mohd Ali and Ts. Dr. Noor Hafizah Hassan
