Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A shortage of resources as well as a modest numberof AI firms have been the biggest challenges for the development of artificialintelligence (AI) in Vietnam, said Bui The Duy, Deputy Minister of Science andTechnology.

Duy told the 2019 Vietnam Artificial Intelligence day (AI4VN) held in Hanoi on August15 that AI has replaced many manual and labour-intensive jobs. Around theworld, many powerful countries have developed their own strategies for AI,making this technology the core of economic acceleration.

“Vietnam's AI industry has made significant progress, which is seen in productswith high levels of AI in recent years. However, the country faces a number ofchallenges,” he said.

“If Vietnam adopts AI, we would be a market for new technology,” he told Viet NamNews.

He noted that Vietnam has a lot of work to do in developing AI. We should payattention to training human resource and creating data systems.

Hoang Minh Son, principle of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology(HUST), said organisations and individuals in Vietnam have studied AIseparately without having an ecosystem.

“AI is one of the key technologies in digital transformation. Many countriessee AI as a key development trend, with big effects on all aspects of life,” Sonsaid.

AI4VN is expected to create momentum for the development of AI in Vietnam byconnecting relevant parties in institutes, universities, businesses, techgroups and start-ups. AI could be used in many sectors such as healthcare,education, business, trade, finance and agriculture, he said.

He added that the university established a new faculty on AI with the highestmarks for student enrolment.

Associate professor Stefano Ermon from Stanford University shared newapplications to predict and monitor agricultural productivity, food securityand infrastructure access in developing countries. These methods have been ableto provide economically-reliable predictions when using high-resolutionsatellite images. They can also revolutionise global poverty reduction efforts.

Hsu Hui Huang from Tamkang University shared Taiwanese experiences in AI,showing that the territory has made strong investment in big projects in AIresearch and development by building research centres and establishing a firmAI foundation.

He suggested that Vietnam could follow the AI road of Taiwan.

The two-day event attracted around 2,000 participants.

Also planned are a series of workshops on AI in tourism, health, education andfinance, among others, to take place with the participation of Vietnamese andforeign experts, businesses, and researchers.

Visitors will be treated to exhibitions and the showcasing of self-driving carsand robots. – VNS/VNA