Imagine two different scenes.
The first takes place many decades ago. A foreign power controls the land, its resources and many important decisions. The people dream of governing their own country and determining their own future. Independence means freedom from colonial rule.
Now, imagine a second scene.
A student wakes up and immediately checks their mobile phone. An application recommends what to watch, an algorithm selects which news appears on the screen, and an artificial intelligence tool helps complete an assignment. Throughout the day, digital platforms record the student’s searches, interests and online behaviour.
No foreign army has entered the country. No national flag has been replaced. Yet, many choices are quietly influenced by systems the student cannot see, does not fully understand and certainly does not control.
This is the difference between colonial rule in the past and digital colonisation today.
Every August, Malaysians celebrate Merdeka by remembering the courage and sacrifices of those who fought for our independence. We fly the Jalur Gemilang, sing patriotic songs and listen again to the historic declaration of “Merdeka!”
For the earlier generation, freedom had a clear meaning. It was the right to govern the country, control its resources and determine its future without being ruled by a foreign power. Political independence allowed Malaysians to build a nation based on our own identity, values and aspirations.
That meaning remains important. However, the world has changed, and independence must now be understood more widely.
Today, we communicate through social media, store information online and use AI to study and work. Technology makes life easier. It connects people, provides access to knowledge and creates opportunities that previous generations could hardly have imagined.
However, convenience often comes with a price, and that price is frequently our data.
Every time we search online, watch a video, click on an advertisement or communicate with an AI tool, we leave a digital trail. This information can reveal what we like, where we go, what we buy and what attracts our attention. Over time, these small pieces of information create a detailed picture of our behaviour.
In the past, valuable resources included land, minerals and agricultural products. In the digital era, data has become one of the world’s most valuable resources. It allows organisations to understand users, predict their behaviour and influence their choices.
Scholars and technology critics describe this emerging form of influence as “digital colonisation”. This does not mean that modern technology is identical to historical colonialism. The struggles and suffering experienced under colonial rule should never be simplified. Instead, the comparison helps us understand how power has changed.
Colonial powers once gained influence by controlling land and natural resources. Today, large technology companies can gain influence by controlling digital platforms, data and algorithms.
The control is not always obvious. When we open a social media application, we may feel that we are freely choosing what to watch. In reality, an algorithm has already selected and arranged much of the content for us. It decides which videos appear first, which stories receive our attention and which opinions repeatedly appear on our screens.
The more we interact with certain content, the more similar content we receive. Eventually, we may find ourselves surrounded by information that supports only what we already believe. Technology does not need to force us to think in a particular way. It can quietly guide our attention until certain ideas appear more popular, important or trustworthy than others.
Artificial intelligence makes this issue even more relevant. AI can help students generate ideas, understand difficult concepts, improve their language and organise information. As an educator, I believe these benefits should be explored. Asking students to avoid AI entirely would be unrealistic, given that the technology is already becoming part of education and the workplace.
Nevertheless, students must understand one important principle: AI should help us think, not replace our thinking.
Imagine a student who asks AI to complete an assignment and submits the answer without reading it carefully. The task may be completed, but has learning taken place? The student has received an answer but has not necessarily developed knowledge, judgement or confidence.
The real danger is not that robots will suddenly take control of our classrooms. It is that students may gradually become afraid to write without AI, make decisions without AI or trust their own ideas without first asking a machine.
Using AI responsibly, therefore, involves more than knowing how to write an effective prompt. Students must know how to check information, recognise possible bias, compare sources and decide whether an answer is appropriate. Most importantly, they must remain responsible for their final work.
Digital colonisation may also affect our language and cultural identity. AI systems learn from enormous amounts of digital content, much of which is produced outside Malaysia. As a result, local languages, cultural practices, and Malaysian experiences may not always be accurately represented.
AI can write about Merdeka, but it has never experienced Merdeka. It can explain Malaysian unity, but it does not know what it feels like to grow up hearing several languages spoken in the same neighbourhood. It can describe our celebrations and traditions, but it understands them only through data.
If Malaysians do not produce and share credible local knowledge, our stories may eventually be told mainly through systems developed by others. We must ensure that our languages, experiences and perspectives remain visible in the digital world.
Universities have an important role in protecting this new form of independence. We must produce graduates who can use technology confidently while continuing to think critically. They must understand data privacy, digital ethics and the influence of algorithms. They should become creators of knowledge and technology, not merely users of platforms created elsewhere.
Merdeka once meant reclaiming control of our land and national future. Today, it must also mean protecting our data, preserving our identity and maintaining the freedom to think for ourselves.
When the Jalur Gemilang is raised this Independence Day, let it remind us that freedom is not merely a historical achievement to be celebrated every August. It is a responsibility that every generation must protect against new forms of influence and control.
Our predecessors fought for the right to govern this land. Our generation must now protect the right to shape our own minds, tell our own stories and determine our own digital future.
That is what Merdeka must mean in the age of artificial intelligence.
Affah Mohd Apandi
Language Teacher
Centre For Language Studies
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
