Malaysia’s history is preserved across millions of documents, photographs, government records and other archival materials. But with such a massive collection, finding a single piece of historical information can be a painstaking process.
The National Archives of Malaysia currently holds around 3.2 million materials of historical value at its Kuala Lumpur facility. These records play an important role in verifying the country’s past — sometimes even correcting what communities have long believed to be true.
Director-general Zaidin Mohd Noor recalled a case involving a village preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. After archivists searched through newspapers, government records, photographs and other documents, they discovered that the village had not actually reached 100 years, leading to the celebration being cancelled.
With millions of records to manage, the National Archives is now exploring how artificial intelligence could make historical research faster and more efficient.
AI could potentially help identify and extract information from archival materials, transcribe voice recordings, analyse photographs and videos, and generate descriptions or metadata for historical records.
Rather than replacing archivists, the technology could make Malaysia’s enormous historical collections easier to navigate, helping researchers and future generations discover information that might otherwise remain buried among millions of records.
Technology is often associated with building the future, but it could also become an important tool for ensuring Malaysia does not lose sight of its past.
Source: www.thestar.com.my
