SUPP laying groundwork to counter possible AI misuse during next state election, says president

KUCHING, June 4 — Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has started looking at forming a cybersecurity team under its Women chief Kho Teck Wan in preparation for the state election, which could see the emergence of widespread dissemination of fake news and deepfake over social media.

Its president Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said Kho, who is a cybersecurity expert, and her team are constantly looking at how technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be misused during the state election.

“She is a cybersecurity expert, and we are aware and all know that in the next election (there will be) a lot of misusing AI.

“AI, for example, can be used to reproduce many images of Dr Sim; looks like Dr Sim, sounds like Dr Sim, but it is not Dr Sim. So, I cannot run away from it,” he told reporters after the flag-raising ceremony by the party branches in Kuching Division to mark the 65th anniversary of SUPP.

He said it is not just SUPP, but also Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) that is looking at forming a cybersecurity team.

He said the state election may be held in 2026 or 2027, but “we need to prepare early” by looking at forming the cybersecurity team.

He said he has also talked with the Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching on the threats to cybersecurity in the Sarawak election.

During his speech earlier, Dr Sim said AI technology is expected to be widely applied in future, especially during elections.

He said the spread of fake news and deepfake is happening around the world, like the United States, United Kingdom and Malaysia.

“We have to start now, prepare ourselves. The younger members should teach the older members of the party on AI technology,” he said.