KUCHING: Sarawak has entered a new phase in artificial intelligence (AI) development through the creation of various local prototypes and concepts designed to directly enhance the wellbeing of its people and contribute to the state’s economic progress.

Chief Executive Officer of the Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC), Professor Dr. Patrick Then, said among the prototypes developed is the ‘DeepSight’ healthcare management platform — a system that enables comprehensive monitoring of Sarawakians’ health through data collected and stored within the state’s own data centre.

“Through a single dashboard, policymakers can view an overall picture of the population’s health status, allowing for more accurate and effective planning and resource allocation,” he said during his presentation at the Sarawak International Digital Economy Conference (IDECS) 2025 held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on Thursday.

He added that SAIC has also developed AI prototypes for diagnosing skin and eye diseases in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH).

According to him, this technology assists healthcare workers in rural areas to carry out early screenings and detect diseases even in the absence of medical specialists.

Professor Dr. Patrick further explained that in the field of environmental conservation, SAIC has produced a prototype known as the Herbarium, aimed at digitising and identifying plant species in Sarawak’s forests for conservation and research purposes.

In addition, he said, SAIC has also developed DeepSAR Chatbot, a locally built AI model capable of quickly answering questions related to government policies such as the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.

He also welcomed collaboration with local companies, individuals, and educational institutions to strengthen AI development in Sarawak for the benefit of all levels of society. -UKASnews

Reporter: Nur Nabilla
Translator: Uilson Ng
Photographer: Nur Nabilla