Development of Artificial Intelligence in Thailand
The Digital Council of Thailand (DCT) has announced that it will be working with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) to turn the country into a digital innovation hub in ASEAN through the development of data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) capability.
The two organisations also plan to drive digital transformation as well as reskill and upskill the digital workforce to be ready to cope with digital disruption and upcoming 5G adoption.
It was noted that DCT’s vision is to improve the digital industry to be at the forefront of the digital economy and social development in the world.
To become a digital innovation hub, the country first needs to have a carrier-neutral data centre that must include data residency for AI analytics capability.
Thailand aims to be an early adopter of 5G in Asia. The upcoming 5G adoption will make more bandwidth available and accelerate the use of the Internet of Things and data analytics.
Data centres will reduce the cost of data transfer as data centres owned by global tech giants are located in Singapore.
The Thai Chamber of Commerce, DCT and FTI have agreed to establish a data centre. The Thai Bankers’ Association will be invited to help create one for the benefit of the country.
There needs to be cooperation between the public and private sectors. For example, the government must provide incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their digital capability.
The government will work to set aside 10% of the country’s reserves, or THB668 billion, as incentives for SMEs to invest in automation, improving capacity and upskilling and reskilling the workforce.
It is crucial for the government to support online self-learning or university courses related to engineering, data analytics and science. All citizens must be included in digital development, and efforts must be made to turn Thailand into an innovation hub, including cloud technology and AI.
It was emphasised that the DCT will aid FTI members in digital and industry transformation. The chairman stated that the organisation supports the data centre and wants the DCT to help train its members’ workers in digital skills.
The FTI plans to set up an innovation and technology fund to raise funds from leading business operators for innovative SMEs and start-ups.
Building Thailand into a Major Tech Hub
According to an earlier OpenGov Asia article, while the term “Thailand 4.0” has become a common phrase used during discourse on the future of Thailand’s economy, most citizens are likely to have little idea of the impact it can have on their jobs.
Thailand 4.0 is a state project aimed at gearing the country towards the fourth industrial revolution; it is centred around advanced technology and high-level services.
A significant amount of preparing Thailand for an increasingly digital era involves encouraging children to study STEM subjects while also helping adults understand modern technology and use it more frequently.
The aim is to encourage young people, in particular, to start their own businesses in their own local communities, so they can help develop their home provinces.
Setting up various data centres, tech hubs, digital parks as well as developing tech-centred programmes, the youth will be enabled to use new technologies to improve their quality of life and their ability to contribute to their communities.
Moreover, adults can also be re-skilled and upskilled so that they, too, are included in the new digital era. In this way, STEM education in Thailand is crucial as it will allow people to make full use of both online and offline technologies.
