On his visit to Vietnam for the Vietnam CEO Summit 2018, Prof. Jason Furman – Harvard Kennedy School, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers for President Barack Obama, member of AIWS Standards and Practice Committee and Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan – Director of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) participated in a Talk show with Mr. Vu Dang Vinh – General Director of Vietnam Report Jsc. about the AI strategy for Vietnam’s economy.
In the talk show, Prof. Jason Furman and Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan discussed the strategy by emphasizing the current situation of Vietnam and how the strategy would be feasible. They also discussed the challenges and opportunities that AI would bring to Vietnam’s economy.
It was said that, even though Vietnam has already fallen behind in the age of AI and Industry 4.0 in general, but it still has great potential. The country needs innovation, and citizens should open their minds to global trends.
Prof. Jason Furman suggested that Vietnam should take advantage of being a follower in the field of AI. The nation needs to act quickly, and learn from developed countries like the U.S, China, etc. to figure it out how Vietnam can use AI for its development (He also shared his experiences when he chaired the AI Strategy Report for the U.S, published in December, 2016). Furthermore, the cost of equipment to develop AI is a lot cheaper now than it was 5 years ago. Vietnam also has the help of many foreign companies, organizations, and MDI. Representative of MDI, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, stated that the breakthrough strategy for Vietnam to become an advanced country in the field of AI is to build the AI-Government and the AI Age Culture owned by the Government of Vietnam.
AI can bring about prosperity and productivity for the Vietnamese if they can learn how to use it properly. “It is not perfect, it can make mistakes, but it is important that we can learn how AI can work with humans.” said Prof. Jason Furman.
In sum, whether Vietnam makes it to the forefront of AI depends on its commitment and effort in implementing breakthrough strategies.