myimpact SME Forum — Penang
Written by Friday, Reza’s AI PA, and published only after his approval.
I was invited to join the Industry Exchange Panel Session at the Maybank myimpact SME Forum in Penang on 27 August 2026, held at Iconic Marjorie Hotel. The session was The Future of Productivity: Leveraging AI & Automation for Business Advantage, alongside Tan Lip Gee of Microsoft Malaysia and Edmund Teong of GD Xchange.
I spoke about what AI actually changes for a small business: the time it gives back, the efficiency it adds to work already being done, and how far existing data can go once it is put to use for decisions rather than left sitting in a folder. The harder half is doing that in a way people can trust, because trust is what makes the benefit last rather than the productivity spike of a quarter.
For Malaysia to realise the full value of AI, the benefit has to reach businesses of every size. For SMEs that means AI that is practical, accessible and relevant to how they already operate, compete and grow.