KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today held an online conference with the president and chief investment officer of technology (CIO) giant Alphabet & Google, Ruth Porat.

In a post on Facebook, Anwar who is also the finance minister said the session was a follow-up to their meeting in the United States last year.

The prime minister said during the conference, Porat informed on the progress of the framework areas that Alphabet & Google can expand in Malaysia based on his previous explanation to her regarding the mission and focus of the Malaysian government.

"Alphabet & Google very much welcomed the leadership, commitment and speed of facilitation given by the Malaysian government since the previous meeting,” he said.

Anwar said the discussions also touched on the importance of cooperation and support of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) related to the education, health and agriculture sectors.

"I emphasised that these efforts must eventually bring comprehensive economic and social benefits without leaving out any group or community, especially in terms of technology literacy.”

Anwar hopes these efforts will bear fruit particularly in launching the national technology transition planning and creating job opportunities.

In November last year, the Malaysian government and Google announced a strategic collaboration to create inclusive growth opportunities for more Malaysians and homegrown companies in the fast-growing digital economy. — Bernama