AI in Sabah Is Still Early. So I Start Where Owners Are.

In plain English I showed a Sabah business owner what I build. He gave me an honest answer. Here, AI is still early. Most owners are at the very start. So what I build has to begin where they are today, not where the headlines say they should be. 我给一位沙巴老板看我在做的东西。他很诚实地说：在这里，AI 还很早，大部分老板才刚开始。所以我做的东西，要从老板们今天真正的位置出发，而不是新闻里说的位置。

TL;DR

Dr Tan Shu Haw of Bread Boss in Damai told me that, seen from Sabah, AI is still at the preliminary stage. I agree. If most owners around you are just starting, you are not behind. Start with one small job, finish it, then build the next piece.

Bread Boss（Damai）的陈博士跟我说：从沙巴来看，AI 还在初步阶段。我同意。如果你身边的老板大多才刚开始，你就不算落后。先做好一件小事，做完，再加下一块。

The conversation

I sat down with Dr Tan Shu Haw, who runs Bread Boss in Damai. I shared what I am building, the AI Solopreneur OS. It is one system an owner uses to run their work with AI. You see the whole board, keep a daily rhythm, follow a weekly plan, and grow a library of what you know.

He listened. Then he gave me his honest view.

Seen from Sabah, by the business owners here, AI is still early. We are at the preliminary stage.
Dr Tan Shu Haw, Bread Boss (Damai), in my words

He did not say AI is useless. He did not say owners here are slow. He said where things stand. That is worth more to me than a compliment.

Why a Sabahan view matters

Most of what we read about AI is written far from here. It talks about companies with tech teams, big budgets and a new tool every week. Read enough of it and you start to feel you are already late.

An owner in Damai sees his own street. He knows the shops around him, the people who run them, and what they actually use every day. When he says it is early, that is a field report, not an opinion from a headline.

The national numbers agree with him. An AWS-commissioned study of 1,000 Malaysian businesses found that 27% now use AI, but only 10% use it to a significant degree (TechWire Asia, 2025). Most are still at the start.

What it changes in how I build

My line has always been: I don't sell anxiety. I install systems. Dr Tan's point sharpens it.

Start where the owner is today, not where the news says they should be.
First step small enough to finish in one sitting.
One real win before anything bigger.

If you run a business in Sabah and feel behind on AI, you are probably not. Most of the owners around you are at the same starting line. That is a good place to begin, as long as you begin.

Early is not late. Early is the best time to start.
Weiss Ang

Thank you, Dr Tan, for the honest view. I hope to keep this conversation going, with you and with more owners here.

FAQ

Is AI adoption in Sabah still early?

From what Sabah business owners tell me, yes. Dr Tan Shu Haw of Bread Boss in Damai put it plainly: seen from Sabah, AI is still at the preliminary stage. National numbers point the same way. An AWS-commissioned study of 1,000 Malaysian businesses found 27% use AI, and only 10% use it to a significant degree.

Is it too late for a Sabah business owner to start with AI?

No. If most owners around you are at the start, you are not behind. Starting now means starting with everyone else, with one small task you can finish.

What should an owner do first, if AI is still new to them?

One small, real job they already do every week. Not a full system on day one. Get one win, then build the next piece on top of it.

Sources

Conversation with Dr Tan Shu Haw, Bread Boss (Damai), 2 November 2026
TechWire Asia — Malaysia's AI adoption paradox (AWS-commissioned study, 1,000 businesses, 2025)

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