Kota Kinabalu: Keeping data well-organised and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) the right way is important for building a sustainable blue economy, said Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Data Management and Artificial Intelligence Centre Director Dr Farashazillah Yahya.
“AI will only be as good as the data you feed. Without clean, governed data, you are fuelling AI initiatives with noise and wasting money,” she said in her talk titled, “From Bytes to Blue: Strengthening Data Governance and AI for Sustainable Blue Economy”.
Farashazillah who was among invited speakers at the 3rd Asean Blue Economy Forum 2025 held at the Sabah International Convention Centre, here, Wednesday, pointed out how rapidly global data is growing, with volumes expected to reach 200 zettabytes by year’s end, that is roughly 200 billion high-definition movies worth of data.
“Between 30 to 50 per cent of collected data is raw, meaning it is rubbish, redundant or obsolete,” she said, adding that even routine activities like forwarding WhatsApp images contribute to unnecessary data accumulation that consumes energy at data centres.
Farashazillah, who is also a committee member at the Malaysian Open Science Platform, said that proper data management builds trust and accountability.
“If we do not trust in our data, there is no sustainable policy or project that can succeed,” she said.
She outlined Malaysia’s 20-year progress in managing data, from creating the public sector data dictionary in 2003 to setting up the National AI Office (NAIO) in late 2024, noting that Malaysia scored 75 per cent in strong data management practices.
For Sabah, Farashazillah suggested ways to strengthen the State’s blue economy efforts and proposed creating a shared data platform where key sectors can work together using the same standards.
“Data from forestry, fisheries and biodiversity sectors could be shared. We could probably tap on the opportunity to have a trusted shared data platform and hardwire governance into projects in Sabah.
“Data sharing, however, remains a persistent challenge across sectors including fisheries, tourism, shipping, forestry and biodiversity,” she said.
She also suggested giving Chief Digital Officers the authority to lead data management by working together with their teams and data owners to share information, assign people responsible for data quality and set clear data standards from the start of collection.
On UMS’ role and expertise, she pointed out the university’s capabilities in supporting Sabah’s blue economy transformation, noting the university has established data governance structures and houses esteemed researchers working on AI applications.
“We have esteemed researchers working on AI applications for the blue economy, including computer vision, optimisation, digital twins, predictive analytics and AI governance covering transparency, fairness and security.
“We have our own Sabahan experts,” she said, adding that two researchers from the AI research group rank among the top two per cent of scientists globally.
On practical steps forward, she suggested beginning with small pilot projects that can attract federal or state funding, allowing for data collection and analysis that demonstrates value.
“We also encourage sharing knowledge with people, not only the technology, because technology will keep on emerging.
“We need skills exchange and to join field labs with universities and coastal communities, including citizen science projects,” she said.
She said that both the Asean Blue Economic Framework 2023 and Asean Digital Master Plan 2025 specifically mention the importance of managing data properly and using new technologies.
“We want trusted data plus responsible AI to equal sustainable impact. If we want to remain sustainable, what we need is collaboration and commitment to make them work in practice.
“From bytes to blue is not just a catchy phrase. It is a call to action. If we strengthen data governance, harness AI responsibly and align with frameworks, we can ensure that the blue economy becomes a driver for sustainable prosperity for our communities, our nation and our region.
“We would not want our nation to just use AI like what we are doing today. We also want projects to be developed from scratch, with proper governance and responsible AI practices from the beginning,” she said.
