ABU DHABI, Sept 26 2026 — Malaysia will strengthen early detection and prevention of crime through responsible use of artificial intelligence while keeping human judgment and the rule of law at the centre of enforcement, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Saturday.
Delivering Malaysia’s national statement at the high-level segment of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Saifuddin said the country must move beyond largely reactive approaches as threats grow more complex. These include radicalisation, human trafficking, organised crime and cyber-enabled crime.
“If crime is increasingly driven by AI, our defences must also be strengthened with AI,” he told delegates at the gathering in Abu Dhabi, which runs until 1 October under the theme of protecting people and the planet in the digital age. The congress opened with the adoption by acclamation of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, a five-year global roadmap covering prevention, the rule of law, evolving threats and international cooperation.
Saifuddin said the idea for the Home Ministry’s “AI4KDN, KDN4AI” approach emerged during an earlier visit to Abu Dhabi in November 2024, inspired by the phrase “AI for energy, and energy for AI.” The initiative now guides the ministry’s digital transformation and aligns with Malaysia’s National AI Action Plan 2026–2030, which seeks responsible, trusted and inclusive use of the technology across government, industry and society.
He stressed that AI should assist decision-making but never replace human consideration. “The rule of law remains the foundation of every preventive and enforcement action, supported by capable institutions, integrity in the public service, accountability and public confidence in the administration of justice,” the minister said.
Cybercrime does not respect borders, he added, so no country can tackle it alone. Malaysia therefore continues to deepen international cooperation, including through the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, which it signed on 25 October 2025 in Hanoi. The country reaffirmed its commitment to the convention’s goals.
Malaysia also backed the newly adopted Abu Dhabi Declaration as a practical step toward stronger crime prevention, more responsive justice systems and broader partnerships.
Saifuddin closed with Malaysia’s Pledge for Justice, a voluntary commitment under the congress’s Pledge4Justice initiative:
“With a view to advancing crime prevention and criminal justice, we pledge, by 2030, to strengthen a modern, equitable and people-centred rule-of-law framework, protect vulnerable groups through victim-centred and trauma-informed approaches, and advance responsible digital innovation in national crime prevention while safeguarding our people, national sovereignty and human dignity.”
The minister described the approach as a balance of technology that strengthens security, law that preserves justice, and progress that keeps people first. The Home Ministry has already begun applying AI in areas such as public service delivery, including a recently launched AI Digital Human that answers queries in multiple languages.
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