The event attracted the participation of leaders, technology experts, businesses and the research community, becoming a place for intellectual convergence to discuss the vision, opportunities and challenges facing Vietnam in the AI era.
Vietnam can become a 'small giant' in the AI era
In his opening speech, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the forum is not only a science and technology event but also a place to discuss the future development of the country, with a focus on AI. The Minister affirmed that a prominent feature of the fourth industrial revolution is the rebalancing of power. Previously, digital technology was almost concentrated in the hands of large corporations (big tech), but now with the explosion of data and specialized applications, power has expanded to countries and businesses that do not possess core technology but have local data and the ability to solve specific problems. "These are the 'small giants' that can create big changes," the Minister emphasized.
According to the Minister, the digital transformation period has shown that technology is global but data is closely tied to the locality. Specialized applications not only help solve national problems but also contribute to the perfection of global technology. Therefore, if the world has a global AI infrastructure, each country also needs to develop its own AI infrastructure, building a national platform alongside the international platform. This combination will help the world develop more sustainably, and this is a great opportunity for developing countries like Vietnam.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung also affirmed that AI is not only an applied technology but is becoming a type of national infrastructure, "like electricity, telecommunications or the Internet before". Any country that masters AI will have a superior advantage in production, business, education , healthcare, administration and even national defense and security. With a population of 100 million, young, tech-savvy and creative, Vietnam has the conditions to not only be a fast user but also a country that creates AI products for itself and the world. "The biggest advantage of Vietnamese enterprises lies in data, in native problems and especially in the intelligence, flexibility and adaptability of Vietnamese people - the most important factors in the era of fast-changing and breakthrough technology", the Minister emphasized.
However, along with opportunities, AI also poses many challenges in terms of ethics, employment and social trust. Therefore, the Minister believes that Vietnam needs to develop AI "fast, safe and humane". AI must be for humans, serve humans, not replace humans. He also said that Vietnam is building a new AI Strategy, a National Action Plan and an AI Code of Ethics. These will be important foundations to ensure rapid but sustainable development, building trust in society.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the philosophy of AI development for Vietnam is encapsulated in the word "and": Global and local, cooperation and autonomy, big tech and startups, technology and application, use and mastery, stimulating innovation and control, global infrastructure and national infrastructure, open data and protected data, open technology and closed technology. "Only by integrating to learn and being autonomous to protect national interests can Vietnam establish a solid position in the AI era," he said, calling for the joint efforts of the State, businesses, scientists and the whole society to turn opportunities into success.
Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the Forum.
Four pillars for Vietnam to break through in the AI era
Continuing that spirit, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long affirmed the strategic role of AI in socio-economic development. According to the Deputy Minister, AI is the focus of global competition and can change the position of a country if it masters and leads this technology. Therefore, AI is creating three major "races" in computing infrastructure, institutions and data.
Computing infrastructure is the foundation for all innovation and is closely linked to digital sovereignty. If AI is developed based on foreign infrastructure, the country will always be passive. Institutions, if too tight, will stifle innovation, while completely loose will lead to social risks. Data, considered the "fuel" of AI, is closely linked to national sovereignty and if not controlled, a country can become dependent on the outside.
"If computing infrastructure is the muscle, institutions are the rules of the game, and data is the fuel, then human resources are the brain of AI," the Deputy Minister emphasized, adding that Vietnam needs to simultaneously develop all four of these pillars.
The Deputy Minister cited: It took the Internet seven years to reach 100 million users, while ChatGPT only took two months. In the past two years, the cost of using AI has dropped by 99%. Thanks to that, AI is spreading at an unprecedented rate: "Three out of four businesses have applied AI". This is a speed "faster than any previous technology". However, if AI is developed based on foreign infrastructure, the country will always be passive. If the institution is too tight, innovation will be stifled; if it is loose, society may fall into risk, and if data is not mastered - which is closely linked to national sovereignty - it will easily become dependent.
To realize the vision, Vietnam has clearly defined the goal of being among the top three countries in Southeast Asia in AI research and development by 2030. Resolution 57 of the Politburo, along with the list of strategic technologies issued by the Government, has placed AI in the group of 11 key technologies, with four priority products including Vietnamese language models, virtual assistants, specialized AI, and analytical AI. According to the Deputy Minister, Vietnam's AI strategy determines that the State will build high-performance computing infrastructure and centralized data infrastructure; popularize AI to the entire population and comprehensively; develop AI human resources; and promote research and innovation.
Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long spoke at the Forum.
From a business perspective, Mr. Le Hong Viet, General Director of FPT Smart Cloud, said that AI is reshaping the digital race among businesses. According to IDC data, global spending on AI software is forecast to reach 297 billion USD by 2027 with a compound annual growth rate of 14%. Businesses that successfully apply AI have an average return on investment (ROI) of 3.7 times, and this figure can increase to 10 times. However, only about 12% of businesses have achieved high AI maturity and are successful in applying it. "AI opens up huge potential but also requires a methodical approach, from improving understanding, assessing readiness, defining vision, choosing the right project to comprehensive scale expansion," he analyzed.
The advancement of AI technology, especially AI agents, opens up great potential for many operations, from customer care, marketing, consulting services to operations, creating a leap in productivity, cost savings and redefining the way to approach customers. Mr. Le Hong Viet also believes that AI will have a strong impact on employment, as 60% of current jobs are affected. Many businesses have started training new skills for workers to adapt and this trend will increase in the next few years.
For businesses, he proposed a 5-stage AI approach and transformation roadmap, starting with improving understanding of AI, assessing readiness, defining a vision linked to business goals to select suitable AI projects, before expanding to a comprehensive scale.
Mr. Le Hong Viet, General Director of FPT Smart Cloud spoke at the Forum.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Trung Chinh, Chairman of CMC Corporation, shared the AI transformation strategy called AI-X with the goal of applying AI to comprehensively change the way the Government, businesses and people's lives operate. Recently, CMC established CMC OpenAI company with the vision of becoming an open and safe AI platform built by Vietnamese people, developing large language models and specialized AI for each field.
According to Deputy Minister Pham Duc Long, AI is a global competition, but Vietnam has a historic opportunity to participate. "Developing AI is a national mission of the State, businesses and all people. We have a good vision and a clear strategy, now is the time to act to turn the vision into reality," he called.
With the convergence of strategic vision, political determination and the participation of the business and scientific community, Vietnam is facing a great opportunity to make a breakthrough in the AI era. The forum not only opens up a space for dialogue but also affirms a strong message: "AI is the strategic driving force to create a fast, sustainable and humane Vietnam".
Overview of the Forum.
Source: https://mst.gov.vn/ai-dong-luc-chien-luoc-cho-tang-truong-dot-pha-nhanh-va-ben-vung-cua-viet-nam-1972508292101344.htm
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