How will artificial intelligence shape the next generation in Southeast Asia? ｜ORIGIN Conference

Currently, Southeast Asia has become an increasingly important role in the global technology landscape, and continues to refresh the outside world's perception with its breakthrough development and innovation speed. According to a report jointly released by Google, Temasek and Bain, Southeast Asia’s digital economy GMV is expected to reach US$330 billion by 2025, and technology start-ups have played an integral role in driving this growth. .

On May 11, as one of the key activities of BEYOND Week, the sixth "ORIGIN Conference", an iconic technology event in Southeast Asia organized by TechNode Global, the international brand department of TechNode Technology, was held in Macau. The BEYOND International Science and Technology Innovation Expo (BEYOND Expo) was held grandly.

Through keynote speeches, group discussions, case presentations, etc., many well-known Southeast Asian investment institutions and start-up companies from Gobi Partners, Kairous Capital, Carsome, Aerodyne, Pluang, FastCo, Enlitho, Wellous, etc. Representatives of Southeast Asia brought profound insights to the participants on topics such as digital transformation, next generation unicorns, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles & transportation, medical health, sustainable development, market opportunities, investment patterns, etc. Experience and share.

In the panel discussion, moderated by Tiago Ramalho, CEO and co-founder of Recursive, William Chow, Vice President of iFlytek Open Platform Business Group, Oliver Tan, CEO and Co-founder of ViSenze, and Pantheon Lab CEO Ivan Lau jointly discussed "How will artificial intelligence shape the next generation of Southeast Asia?" 》This topic was discussed.

The three guests discussed Southeast Asia’s unique advantages in artificial intelligence solutions, government policies proposed to improve the artificial intelligence ecosystem, and the industries most suitable for adopting artificial intelligence. In addition, the panel discussion also provided insightful exchanges on the challenges related to artificial intelligence and the necessary conditions required for artificial intelligence education and skill development.

It is worth mentioning that the guests also jointly emphasized the need to make artificial intelligence inclusive and make this technology accessible to everyone. Moreover, this technology should not be exclusive to a few giant companies. Likewise, the panelists noted that it is crucial for people to understand this technology and its impact on society.

The following is the edited transcript of the discussion:

ViSenze CEO and Co-Founder Oliver Tan

Retail and e-commerce will be the fastest adopters of artificial intelligence because these industries have a wide variety of artificial intelligence application scenarios, including Internet artificial intelligence (cloud artificial intelligence), business artificial intelligence, perception artificial intelligence, and autonomous Artificial Intelligence and more. Consumers often leave data traces as they search for and purchase products, and these behaviors will be overlaid by these different kinds of AI technologies. At the same time, sellers can also accumulate various information about their own customers. So essentially, industries that collect data will have an easier time integrating AI into their businesses.

In Southeast Asia, people have different languages. From this point on, there will also be many opportunities for artificial intelligence in terms of applications. For example, artificial intelligence can help connect people with different languages ​​and cultures. This diversity is a challenge, to be sure, but also an opportunity for AI companies looking to find a way forward for their commercializable AI products.

On AI policy and regulation, Southeast Asia sadly does not have a strong collective voice on the international stage when it comes to the development of AI standards or AI policies – Southeast Asia needs to do better. Currently, only a few countries have proposed their artificial intelligence policies and strategies, mainly Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Southeast Asia is still lacking collective action when it comes to artificial intelligence. In addition, Southeast Asia’s investment in digital infrastructure, legal systems, data sharing policies and government engagement is also important.

Mastering the knowledge of artificial intelligence is another important point. I believe that the concept of artificial intelligence should be introduced in schools so that the next generation can understand this technology. Education is critical to ensuring that AI can benefit everyone—and it all starts with education.

How to make artificial intelligence more inclusive is a thorny issue. News about artificial intelligence taking over human jobs is on the opposite side of inclusion. It creates anxiety about artificial intelligence. In Singapore, we have established a national AI framework based on four principles: namely, human-centred, transparent, fair and explainable.

We involve different members of society in the planning of the national artificial intelligence strategy, so there will be multiple levels of participation here. It is precisely because of this that people will not feel that they are moving away from the national artificial intelligence strategy. We try to reach everyone across all social strata as much as possible. However, it is true that these things are easier to do in a small country like Singapore with a population of about 5 million. In larger countries, the task is much more challenging.

When it comes to the future of artificial intelligence, what excites me most is the potential of large-scale language models and generative artificial intelligence. These technologies can be combined with other technologies to achieve perceptual artificial intelligence or more advanced technologies that can change the way we interact in the real world. For example, when it comes to shopping, AI can help simulate the actual physical shopping experience—not only providing a means to view items and engage in conversation, but also allowing consumers to virtually touch or smell items.

William Chow, Vice President of iFlytek Open Platform Business Group

Now is a great era of artificial intelligence. However, AI also faces serious challenges in adoption and implementation. The first is the policy and regulatory challenge. Another challenge is computing power. For organizations to use artificial intelligence in their respective businesses, they need to invest in powerful computing equipment, which is often considered difficult in Southeast Asia.

Finding AI talent in Southeast Asia is also a challenge. We have partnered with universities in China and Singapore, but there are still not enough potential AI employees, and we will need more of them. iFlytek is headquartered in Hefei (Anhui, China), which is a developing city. Finding AI talent has always been a problem for us. Of course, we will also need more artificial intelligence talents in other places, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. And this is also a problem we can find in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Artificial intelligence is not our end. Our goal is to make our lives better and our jobs more efficient, and AI can be a tool to achieve these goals. In education, healthcare, manufacturing and other fields, we use artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency. Additionally, AI is useful in creating better customer experiences and facilitating better communication between people.

I believe artificial intelligence should become like water and air. We may not see it, but we use it so often that you wouldn't realize it's there. It becomes an ordinary part of life and everyone uses it instinctively. It must not become a burden or become something that scares people.

Pantheon Lab CEO Ivan Lau

Southeast Asia is a fairly fragmented region, which is a challenge for economic integration. Countries have different ethnic groups, languages ​​and appearances. Penetrating different markets can be difficult due to various barriers. But this is also a problem that artificial intelligence can help solve - it can provide corresponding solutions to allow consumers to better interact with businesses, or businesses with other businesses.

For example, in Malaysia, we see a lot of problems with finding the right talent to work in different markets, such as having a Thai person advertise Thai products in Malaysia. And this problem can be solved with the help of the latest artificial intelligence technology.

As far as how the government promotes artificial intelligence, I think the government should work hard on education. Having people who are proficient in AI is important. In addition, the government should also educate the general public on artificial intelligence to help them understand what artificial intelligence can do for them.

On the issue of how artificial intelligence can be inclusive and universal, I think it is important to launch appropriate education programs. In addition, developing positive solutions is a necessary option. It can help bridge the gap and address AI talent shortages and skills mismatches. In addition, improving people’s knowledge about AI is also important – helping people understand how AI can impact their lives and how they can be part of a new society that embraces AI.

Looking to the future, artificial intelligence will have a huge market. Artificial intelligence technology will be further improved, they will become more like humans, and may even be able to converse naturally. Additionally, AI can also help fill gaps in the need for more talent, especially in front-end industries where young people tend to deviate.

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