Malaysia Book of Records recognises landmark AI Learn-A-Thon

More than 3,500 Malaysians gathered at AI Malaysia Takeover 2026 (AIMTO_26) to learn, experiment and build with artificial intelligence, highlighting growing efforts to translate interest in AI into practical skills and applications.

Held in Kuala Lumpur, the event brought together government representatives, technology companies, investors, developers and members of the wider AI community to explore Malaysia’s emerging AI ecosystem.

Minister of Digital YB Gobind Singh Deo also unveiled the new Rakyat Digital portal during the event, alongside discussions and demonstrations focused on the development and adoption of AI.

Among the speakers were Kelas Sekejap co-founders Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, Axiata Group Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer Dr Rainer Deutschmann, Supabase CEO and founder Paul Copplestone, 500 Global Managing Partner Khailee Ng and YTL AI Labs CEO Foong Chee Mun.

Learn-A-Thon earns Malaysia Book of Records recognition

A key component of AIMTO_26 was its Learn-A-Thon, which brought together more than 1,000 participants ranging from beginners to experienced developers.

The initiative was recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records as the “LARGEST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) LEARN-A-THON”, after participants worked with facilitators and mentors to turn ideas into functional digital products.

Participants created AI agents, applications, games and websites, including a Duit Raya Planner designed to manage festive giving, a Traffic Light Simulator for modelling traffic flows and knowledge databases intended to provide shared context for multiple AI agents.

YTL AI Labs supported the initiative by providing free access to ILMUchat, a Malaysian-developed AI platform designed to understand local context. Participants were able to use the platform to experiment with AI solutions on Malaysian sovereign infrastructure.

Foong said greater access to hands-on opportunities would be important in developing Malaysia’s AI capabilities.

“For Malaysia to build meaningful AI capability, more people need the opportunity to work with the technology and see what they can do with it,” he said.

He added that ILMU was intended to give Malaysians a locally developed platform to explore, learn from and build on.

Programme extends beyond AIMTO_26

The initiative is also set to continue after the event, with YTL AI Labs partnering with KrackedDevs for a three-month builder programme.

The programme will give Learn-A-Thon participants further opportunities to use ILMUchat and develop projects initiated during AIMTO_26.

Rizal Shah Amat, CEO of Ludic Asia, said the Learn-A-Thon was intended to help create a community of Malaysians who were capable of building with AI, rather than simply using existing AI tools.

“The Learn-A-Thon is a starting point for building a growing community of Malaysians who are confident not just using AI, but building with it,” he said.

Beyond the Learn-A-Thon, AIMTO_26 featured discussions examining Malaysia’s AI economy and its potential to strengthen national competitiveness, including a session involving representatives from Microsoft, Global AI Village and YTL AI Labs.

The event underscored the growing emphasis on practical AI adoption, skills development and local technology capabilities as Malaysia seeks to strengthen its position in the regional digital economy.