KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor is moving towards becoming an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered state, with AI set to be integrated into government operations and public services to improve efficiency. State Islamic Affairs and Digital Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said the next phase of the state's Smart City agenda would focus on using data and AI to shape policies and improve services. "Selangor completed 60 initiatives under its Smart City programme from 2016 to 2025, including the integration of applications and systems to monitor public assistance, as well as digital platforms for city management. "Under the Second Selangor Plan 2026-2030, we will move towards AI Cities, a leap that Selangor will try to lead." Fahmi said the move would complete the Smart City cycle by allowing data collected through existing systems and applications to be analysed and translated into policies, regulations and guidelines. "A city will become truly smart if data can be analysed and translated into policies, regulations and guidelines that are more appropriate for implementation." He said AI-powered systems would be used in government processes and public services by 2030, although the extent of implementation was still being explored. "I am optimistic that Selangor will have AI systems of this kind in use next year." Fahmi said the state needed more efficient ways to manage its services, with about 19,000 civil servants serving a state he described as 11 times larger than Singapore. He said AI could help automate government processes, analyse large amounts of data and provide faster guidance on the action required. The development of an AI City would require centralised digital infrastructure capable of collecting, storing and analysing data using graphics processing units and the latest AI technology. Fahmi said Selangor's 5G coverage, which stood at 97 per cent, would also provide an important foundation