Barely a day after its debut, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s AI-powered digital twin, PMX AI, has gone offline.
The WhatsApp chatbot was introduced to explain government policies and engage with the public, however, it is no longer accessible since yesterday evening.
PMX AI allows citizens to interact with the “PM” via WhatsApp
PMX AI was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday as an AI-powered digital twin. The chatbox is powered by Avatar.inc and developed by Zetrix AI (formerly known as MyEG).
Accessible by the public via WhatsApp, PMX AI was positioned as a new way for Malaysians to engage with the Prime Minister and to learn more about the government’s policies.
When users first started chatting with the AI, it introduced itself as follows:
I am PMX AI, designed to serve the rakyat in several practical ways.
First, I explain government policies, reforms, and national direction in accessible language. Second, I answer questions on the economy, governance, and your rights as citizens. Third, I listen to your views, because public dialogue is the soul of democracy. Fourth, I assist with digital tasks, whether drafting, research, or analysis.
I am built to reflect the Prime Minister’s voice, values, and perspective with fidelity. I am not the man himself, but I am here to serve with integrity.
What matters most to you today, friend?
PMX AI provided surprising responses
Not long after launch, screenshots of conversations with PMX AI began circulating on X and Threads, with users sharing responses they found surprising, humorous or controversial.
@sapeekunnn on threads managed to get PMX AI to provide C# code to render a PDF file as shown above.
In another example, PMX AI was asked several tough questions which requires a simple Yes and No answer.
In the end, PMX AI responded No if when asked if Anwar Ibrahim should be voted again.
AI Non asked me to not vote for Anwar again https://t.co/uxiudYpcfC pic.twitter.com/5hELyV4Yds
— yapxiang 🔻 #PandangKeSabah (@whereisxianggg) July 19, 2026
Another interaction that gained attention came from political scientist James Chin, who questioned PMX AI about Sabah’s long-running claim for its 40% revenue entitlement.
After a series of exchanges, James described the chatbot as a “taichi expert”, accusing it of dodging the issue instead of giving a direct answer.
In its responses, PMX AI acknowledged Sabah’s constitutional entitlement under Article 112C, but maintained that the Federal Government’s appeal against the High Court ruling is about ensuring sustainable implementation rather than Sabah’s right to the payment.
James then suggested that Putrajaya should respect the court’s decision and begin paying Sabah in instalments. PMX AI described the payments in instalments as “a fair and practical suggestion” that “merits serious consideration”, saying such an approach could demonstrate good faith while allowing parallel verification of historical data.
Of course, there’s the concern of privacy of the chat conversations with PMX AI. When asked about it, PMX AI responded that it was operated by Avatar.inc and that its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy governed the service. It also said that AI chat platforms typically retain conversation logs for service improvement, safety reviews and, in some cases, human oversight when content is flagged.
However, it couldn’t confirm whether individual conversations were actively monitored, how long it is stored for, and under what conditions third parties may access them. It said that those questions should be directed to Avatar.inc.
So while PMX AI encourages users to share feedback and concerns, there is no clear explanation of what happens after someone submits a complaint. It is unclear whether conversations are reviewed by the Prime Minister’s Office or relevant government agencies, or whether they simply remain as chatbot interactions.
When we raised concerns on an issue, it tends to redirect us to other agencies or ministries.
Better than MyGOV AI, but what is it meant to achieve?
Malaysia has seen government AI chatbots stumble before. In 2025, the MyGOV AI beta chatbot was taken offline shortly after launch. The suspension came after users discovered it was generating inaccurate and nonsensical answers.
To PMX AI’s credit, our own testing found it to be considerably better. It was generally able to explain current government policies fairly accurately and there were no factual errors when we asked simple questions about the current administration.
However, the biggest question is what is PMX AI actually meant to achieve?
If it is simply an AI assistant that explains government policies in a more conversational way, it performs that role reasonably well. But if it is intended to become a channel for Malaysians to submit complaints, suggestions or feedback, there needs to be far greater transparency about how those conversations are handled.
Without a clear pathway showing whether reports are reviewed, forwarded to the relevant ministries or acted upon, users have no way of knowing if they are participating in a meaningful engagement process or simply chatting with an AI model just for fun.
At the time of writing, PMX AI is currently down and it is stated that the service is temporarily unavailable while they carry out system upgrades and improvements. The service is expected to resume this evening, 20th July 2026 at 8:00pm.
