Malaysia launches AI chatbot to combat fake news

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THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has launched a chatbot that allows citizens to verify text messages before sharing them in a bid to curb the spread of misinformation in the country. 

The chatbot named Aifa, or Artificial Intelligence Fact-Check Assistant – can verify text messages in four main languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.

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The service is designed to combat the spread of fake news and provide users with a platform to verify unverified information online. It is accessible through the Sebenarnya.my portal and via WhatsApp at 03-86887997.

Malaysian Communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, who was at Aifa’s launch at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) headquarters on January 28, 2025 was quoted as saying “From 2020 to Jan 27, 2025, a total of 25,114 fake news items have been removed.”

Fahmi noted that the spread of misinformation has worsened in the country as criminals are widely using fake news and deep fakes promoting the government to undertake the project.

“Licensing of social media platforms is only a part of the government’s initiatives. The King has agreed to the amendments to the MCMC Act to curb porn, cyber bullying and scams,” he added.

Fahmi noted that Aifa on WhatsApp would keep a check on messages which are forwarded without verifying, and highlighted that fake news spreads faster than Malaysia’s internet speed, which he claimed is one of the fastest in South-east Asia.

“A few weeks ago, there was news that the International Trade and Industry minister, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, had jumped parties from Umno to PKR, which was not true, and it went viral.”

“Then, we have the one where Youth and Sports minister Hannah Yeoh was alleged to be the daughter of the founder of the YTL Corporation. Another was the fake news of 1.2 million China nationals being in the country,” he added.

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He said MCMC has collaborated with strategic partners to develop and provide chatbot services on WhatsApp and the Sebenarnya.my portal.

“The chatbot initiative led by MCMC will serve as a platform to help users verify the accuracy of information spread through the application,” added Fahmi.

“Aifa would help the public quickly and easily verify and obtain accurate information, accelerate the response to false information online and strengthen the role of Sebenarnya.my in combating the spread of fake news in Malaysia.”

Fahmi said Aifa uses algorithms and machine learning to match information with reliable sources, and then quickly provides users with accurate and verified information.

“Currently, Aifa only accepts input in text format. In the future, Aifa will be capable of accepting input in various formats.”

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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