(1) Dr. Yung-Hui Li, Director of AI Research Center, Hon-Hai Research Institute, Taiwan

Dr. Li stated that the general public have seen a glimpse of the AI power by experiencing Chat Gpt. However, it is important to see AI as an industry where a lot of things need to be prepared in the background and manufactured in order to make AI succeed.

From basic label like components such as chips, memory, sensors to devices such as cloud servers, user devices like PCs and smartphones will be needed to structure the new AI industry. Dr. Li said that hardware is fundamental because of the astronomical number of computations needed to reach AI efficiencies.

His company works closely with Nvidia to help package their GPU into modules. On the software side there are other partners such as Meta, Microsoft, Google, and other players who will be the last link to the consumer side.

Dr. Li argued that in order to have a successful AI usage in society, an emerging AI ecosystem is also needed to create smart manufacturing. AI requires the transformation from just making manufacturing electronics to the whole system like EV, so AI’s capabilities need to be embedded into the platform such as in the case of Smart EV.

These AI applications will evolve into complex systems such as smart city platform with overarching applications dealing with issues such as smart transportation, from home to destination using different means at variable times.

(2) Ms. Madeline Newman, Executive Director, AI Forum New Zealand

Madeline Newman talked about Aotearoa New Zealand’s collaborative approach to AI regulation, the importance of inclusion, and the common problems we all have in building trust in AI. She argued for actively creating safe and interesting places for people to play with the toolsets as key to building knowledge, familiarity and trust.

Madeline mentioned that the goal in her market is to use AI to promote economic opportunities using its supporting applications. It is necessary to ensure that society can adapt to rapid and far reaching changes that artificial intelligence technology is bringing.

While New Zealand appears to lack a fixed or stated AI strategy, Madeline said that a lot of work is being done in the background by the Forum and by other entities like the Artificial Intelligence Association, many times in cooperation with some government entities.

The last government wasn’t excited by AI, Madeline said, but the situation has changed in part because New Zealanders are using AI.

Madeliine mentioned that she talked with a number of people from around the Asia Pacific region and found a common problem: AI’s sketchy reputation and the lack of trust from the public. She said that this problem needs to be addressed to accelerate adoption.

Her group, AI Forum, is creating context for future government policy and helping organize data to build up the AI database.

(3) Mr. Oliver Tian, Vice President, Global Robot Clusters, Singapore

Oliver emphasized the importance of leveraging AI to augment human capabilities and extending human potential. He shared the formula “ 0 ==> 1; One + ”.

He discussed the wonders of AI and how it will help humankind as well as the woes and pains of AI. He cautioned against bias, misuse and over-dependence on AI.

He encouraged the audience to know about AI so that “we can be Master of Technology and not be slave to it.” He advised the public to get educated on AI (to a minimum level), to experiment with AI (so as to know how it works), and to continuously engage with practitioners/experts in AI so that one keeps updated on the progress of AI. “Clearly, AI is here to stay with us” Oliver concluded.

(4) Mr. Premjith Krishnan, CEO of Namastrend Business Services Pvt Ltd, India

Premjith Krishnan, in his brief presentation, delved into India’s burgeoning AI market landscape, which is set to soar to USD 6.26 billion during the current year and projected to reach a staggering USD 17 billion by 2027, as per various research sources.

Krishnan highlighted the pivotal role of both governmental initiatives and industry endeavors in propelling AI development within India.

He emphasized well thought-out and multi-directional policies initiatives by NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) and MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology), elucidating on flagship programs such as the India AI Mission and the establishment of various Expert Groups on AI, Open Government Data Platform, and, Centres of Excellence and PPP model initiatives such as the National AI Portal.

Notably, India’s active involvement as a founding member and current Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) and others such as US-India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) initiative showcases its commitment to collaborative efforts on a global scale. Krishnan underscored India’s leadership position in AI implementation and usage, with a remarkable 91% of Indian companies intending to utilize their data for training AI models, surpassing the global average of 62%. This trend is particularly pronounced in sectors like retail and ecommerce, BFSI, healthcare, education, and agriculture.

Moreover, India’s vibrant startup ecosystem, ranked as the third-largest globally, has witnessed exponential growth in the deep-tech area, with over 31,000 tech startups emerging over the past decade with a 15X growth, as per the NASSCOM-ZINNOV Report. Krishnan also highlighted the milestone achievement of “Krutrim,” India’s first AI Unicorn, marking a significant milestone in the country’s AI journey.

He concluded his presentation by pinpointing areas for improvement, including the absence of specific AI regulation laws, limited availability of high-performance computing devices, scarcity of market-ready models, and concerns surrounding security, misinformation, deepfakes, and transparency. Krishnan’s insights underscored India’s strides in AI development while acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead in harnessing its full potential.

(5) Ms. Vicky Enkhsaikhan, Co-Founder of Empasoft Institute of Technology /Country Director, Women in Tech Global Movement, Mongolia

Vicky is the co-founder of the University of Technology in Mongolia that aims to build domestic skills not only for AI development but for many technology areas.

With only 3.4 million people sandwiched between two giants, Russia and China, the country needs technology to advance and also to provide good quality jobs to his youth comprising 35% of the entire population.

She presented the novel idea of AI for nomadic life in Mongolia, since a considerable number of Mongolian citizens still practice nomadic life in such vast country.

Currently, 25% of the population still lives the nomadic life. Yet they enjoy electricity and Internet 24 hours, including renewable energy generated by wind and solar panels, proving that nomadic life can be sustained with modern technology.

Thus, AI can also be implemented in the nomadic life to strenghten the culture and other traditions of Mongolia.

Vicky also said that language is another cultural area where AI can help Mongolia because only 0.1% of the world population speaks Mongolian language.

Some US$10 millions has been invested in AI area. She recognized that it is a small amount and that much more is needed to make AI usable in the Mongolian market. She also suggested that literature, poems, folk stories and fairy tales can also be incorporated into AI applications that can further solidify nomadic life and education. To that purpose Vicky mentioned Egune, an organization composed of talented engineers interested in the nomadic life.

Some of the presentation files can be downloaded HERE.

The video recording of the presentation can be viewed at the CACCI YouTube channel HERE.