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Malaysia’s corporate leaders must humanise with artificial intelligence rather than watch from the sidelines, as the gap between awareness and readiness widens across the country’s boardrooms. PIKOM CEO Ong Kian Yew, Futurefirst Co-founder Dr Chanthiran Veerasamy, Green Packet Managing Director & Group CEO Datuk Wira Shahul Hameed Shaik Dawood, MIHRM President Simon Benjamin, and Futurefirst Solutions Co-founder Shankar Nagalingam launching the Tarantula Trail at the Summit of Titans II. The distinction lies not in strategy or budget but in leaders personally getting familiar with AI and integrating it into their own work. “Leaders need to take the first step to get themselves to humanise with AI, as in familiarise, capitalise, understand, interpret and use it for their own benefit because awareness alone is no longer enough,,” Futurefirst Solutions Sdn Bhd co-founder Shankar Nagalingam said at the Summit of Titans II, themed “Decode AI. Reclaim the Future”, held yesterday. He said leaders who continued to wait and watch rather than act on AI’s impact risked falling behind. The conclave, which drew more than 300 C-suite executives, also saw the launch of Tarantula Trail, a new leadership venture by Futurefirst Solutions built on NETRA, a trademark framework centred on five traits: Neuroplasticity, Neuroempathy, Technosapient, Regenerative and Agentic.  Malaysian business, technology, and HR leaders at Summit of Titans II. Tarantula Trail is the first in the world to combine two elements in a leadership environment; technology-based assessment using EEG brainwave, AI facial recognition and voice modulation, and a cinematic experience where participants watch a film portraying distinct leadership styles to identify their own gaps.  “We are using technology that no one in the world is using in a leadership environment to connect and interpret future capabilities. Eventually, you can use this for hiring, promotion and organisational succession planning, to determine whether individuals have the traits needed for the future,” Shankar said. He added that the programme reads how leaders truly think, feel and decide, elevating human capabilities no machine can replace.  Unlike conventional assessments, he said the programme identifies individual gaps through technology rather than questionnaires and the reliability of its brainwave measurement surpassed that of a lie detector..  Meanwhile, co-founder Dr Chanthiran Veerasamy highlighted the cinematic element was key to creating the kind of self-realisation conventional training could not.  “Cinematic experience gives you that immersive learning experience, whereas the validation is through the AI app and EEG technology,” he said.  The full programme, including its cinematic production, is expected to be completed by year-end.  Summit of Titans II drew a formidable line-up of industry leadership. Academician Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Datuk Dr. Ir. Ahmad Tajuddin Ali officiated the conclave, while Managing Director and Group CEO of Green Packet, Datuk Wira Shahul Hameed Shaik Dawood launched the Tarantula Trail publications. He was joined on stage by PIKOM Chief Executive Officer Ong Kian Yew and Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management President Simon Benjamin.  Their presence underscored the summit’s standing as a premier meeting point for Malaysia’s business, technology and human-capital leaders. Meanwhile, keynote speaker Professor Keith Carter, an AI strategist and TEDx speaker, said whether AI replaced or empowered people depended entirely on leadership intent. CEOs with vision, he said, were bringing AI into their organisations not to cut people but to unlock human potential.  Waiting gets punished in 2026, he added, saying that organisations that delayed action risked being left behind.  The Summit of Titans II comes as AI moves beyond pilot programmes into the core of business operations across Malaysia. 

Artificial intelligence is no longer coming — it is here, rewriting the rules of every creative industry on the planet. On 4 June 2026, a room in Kuala Lumpur confronted that reality head-on. Held at the Hyatt Centric Kuala Lumpur, Creators Circle: The Soul of Creativity — AI, Art & The Future of Human Imagination brought together a curated gathering of founders, creators, business leaders, media professionals, and changemakers for an unfiltered conversation about one of the most pressing creative challenges of our generation. Moderated by Rizal Kamal, Founder of Creators Circle and CEO of LOL Asia, the session featured candid insights from Yasmin Suleiman (CEO and Producer, Studio Voxel) and Raz Gabriel Sho (Creative Technologist and Founder, Pixel Crest) — two practitioners operating at the intersection of technology and imagination. This was not a debate about whether AI will change things — it already has. The real question posed was: What do we fight to preserve? The Questions That Stopped the Room The session did not avoid uncomfortable conversations. As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated and accessible, the discussion tackled difficult but necessary questions facing today’s creative leaders: → Is AI enhancing human creativity — or quietly eroding our ability to think for ourselves? → What happens when content becomes infinite but meaning becomes scarce? → Can an algorithm replicate intuition, empathy, cultural memory, and lived experience? → How will creative industries redefine value when the act of creation becomes automated? → Are we building smarter tools — or raising a generation that no longer needs to imagine? The conclusion was clear: while AI will continue to transform the way people work, create, and communicate, it cannot replicate imagination, emotional intelligence, cultural nuance, or the irreplaceable spark of original human thought. Five Forces Reshaping Southeast Asia’s Creative Economy The discussion surfaced five major shifts already taking place across Malaysia and the wider region — and accelerating rapidly. 1. AI as Creative Collaborator — Not Replacement The most forward-thinking creators are not resisting AI — they are learning how to direct it. AI is increasingly serving as an accelerator for ideation, production, research, and design, enabling human creators to focus on higher-value creative thinking. 2. Authenticity Becomes the Premium Asset As AI-generated content floods digital platforms, human perspective, originality, and authentic storytelling are becoming increasingly scarce — and more valuable than ever. 3. A New Creative Economy is Emerging The convergence of AI, media, entertainment, gaming, and immersive technologies is not merely disrupting traditional models — it is creating entirely new opportunities. Entrepreneurs who understand this shift are likely to build the defining companies of the next decade. 4. Creativity is Now a Competitive Advantage In a future where machines increasingly handle execution, uniquely human capabilities such as critical thinking, adaptability, emotional intelligence, cultural literacy, and innovation become even more important. 5. Southeast Asia’s Moment Has Arrived With a young, digitally native population, a fast-growing creator economy, and rich cultural diversity, Southeast Asia is uniquely positioned to become a global hub for human-centred creative innovation — if the region acts decisively. A Conversation Beyond Technology A recurring theme throughout the session was that the future should not be framed as a battle between humans and machines. Instead, speakers challenged participants to think about how technology can responsibly amplify human potential rather than diminish it. “One of the key takeaways from our conversation with Raz and Yasmin was that the future isn’t about choosing between humans and AI — it’s about how we work together. AI is transforming the way we create, communicate and innovate, but it also challenges us to think more deeply about what makes human creativity valuable. The qualities that drive meaningful progress — imagination, empathy, critical thinking and cultural understanding — remain uniquely human. At Creators Circle, we believe these conversations are essential because the decisions we make today will shape the future of creativity, business and society. As AI becomes more integrated into our lives, our responsibility is to ensure that technology amplifies human potential, rather than replaces it,” said Rizal Kamal, Founder of Creators Circle and CEO of LOL Asia.