The Ministry of Science and Technology will hold the 2019 Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Day on August 15 and 16 in Hanoi.

With the theme “Empowering the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ecosystem”, the event is to promote the development of AI technology in Vietnam through strengthening connectivity between agencies such as research institutes, universities, businesses, technology groups, and the startup community. It also aims to promote the research and application of AI in key fields including healthcare, education, trade, finance, and agriculture.

There will be a series of workshops on AI in tourism, health, education, and finance, among others, with the participation of some 2,000 Vietnamese and foreign experts, businesspeople, and researchers.

Six reports from leading world speakers in the field of AI, technology, and startups, such as Dr. Ulli Waltinger from Siemens, Associate Professor Stefano Ermon from Stanford University in the US, and the co-founder of Angry Bird, Mr. Peter Vesterbacka, will be presented at the two-day event. Topics are aimed at mapping the most suitable path for Vietnam to develop its AI industry.

There will also be a roundtable discussion involving leading tech CEOs in Vietnam, including those from giant local companies like FPT and VinAI Research, on the future development of the country’s AI industry and solutions on how to spur growth in the sector.

There will be exhibitions and demonstrations of AI products such as unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and robots, and a hackathon in which computer programmers and others involved in software development collaborate intensively on software projects, etc.

AI is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines working and reacting like humans. It is considered one of the core technologies of Industry 4.0 and is expected to have major impacts over the next ten years, according to US-based research and advisory company Gartner. The AI industry was valued at $1.2 trillion in 2018, posting tremendous year-on-year growth of 70 per cent.

Leading global auditing firm PwC predicts that AI will help the global economy grow by 14 per cent, equivalent to about $15.7 trillion, by 2030, having an important influence on the fields of healthcare, financial services, retail, technology, media and entertainment, manufacturing, energy, and transportation and logistics.

In Vietnam, AI was listed for prioritized investment and development as early as 2014, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is also listed among breakthrough technologies and a spearhead factor in Industry 4.0. VN Economic Times

Le Diem