Malaysian students are growing up surrounded by AI, but most only meet it through the apps on their phones. CelcomDigi wants to change that. Malaysia's largest mobile operator has teamed up with RTM's Junior Innovathon 2026 to give 200 primary and secondary school students across the country hands-on time with AI and other emerging technologies as they work on their own innovation ideas.
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What the students actually did
As the official telco partner for the competition, CelcomDigi ran a customised AI workshop to build foundational knowledge, then brought the group through its AI Experience Centre (AiX) to see how the technology is used in the real world. Students interacted with the centre's robots and explored immersive demonstrations, including AI applied to healthcare.
The AI Experience Centre is CelcomDigi's showcase space for real-world AI, the kind of setting most school students would rarely get to visit. Pairing a classroom-style workshop with a live demonstration is meant to take AI from an abstract idea to something the students can see working in front of them.
A new Tech for Impact Award
CelcomDigi is also introducing the Tech for Impact Award as part of Junior Innovathon 2026. Rather than treating technology as an add-on, the award asks students to show how it can strengthen their ideas, solve a real problem or create meaningful impact.
One primary school and one secondary school will win. Each winning school receives CelcomDigi Essential 5G Home WiFi (100Mbps) for two years, meant to keep their digital learning going well after the competition ends. CelcomDigi will also join the final judging panel on 1 November 2026.
Part of a bigger talent push
RTM Junior Innovathon 2026 brings primary and secondary students nationwide together to develop ideas and compete in STEM-based innovation challenges. CelcomDigi's role adds practical AI and technology exposure, connecting what students build in the competition to how the same tools are applied in industry.
The initiative sits under CD:NXT, CelcomDigi's wider effort to grow Malaysia's next generation of digital talent. It follows other recent moves by the operator into education and skills, from adding campus@celcomdigi hubs at four Malaysian universities to a digital-talent partnership with HELP University. Malaysia has been working to build a deeper pool of AI and digital talent, and early exposure at school age is one part of that effort.
"The earlier we can spark that interest, the more opportunities we create to nurture the future-ready AI talent Malaysia will need," said CelcomDigi Acting Chief Innovation Officer Kugan Thirunavakarasu.
What it means for you
For students and parents, this is a concrete look at AI learning that goes beyond the classroom screen. Programmes like this are becoming one of the main ways young Malaysians get early, practical exposure to the technology that will shape how they study and work.
