Vietnam's leading tech firm suggests ways for country to become AI powerhouse

If Vietnam wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with advanced countries, the country must learn from successful models in the world to master AI technology and develop AI models for itself, says Truong Gia Binh, chairman of technology major FPT Corporation.

What is the significance of mastering AI, in your view?

Mastering AI is not only to contribute to protecting national security in the technological era but also to preserve the beauty of Vietnamese culture, language, and way of life. We must grasp AI sovereignty. That is an extremely important task to help Vietnam become powerful.

What are the conditions for the country to become an AI powerhouse?

The most important thing is the spirit of solidarity. Everyone from businesses to people, from large enterprises to startups must join hands. In the past, our ancestors won the wars by mobilizing the strength of the entire people, whoever had a gun used a gun, whoever had a sword used a sword, everyone stood up to save the country. That solidarity is the most important strength.

If Vietnam wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with advanced countries, AI must be applied in all areas of social life. We must learn from successful models in the world to master AI technology and develop AI models for Vietnam itself.

Is this "AI battle" more easy or more difficult compared to the "battle" for software exports that FPT Corporation fought 20 years ago?

In 1998, when fighting the "software export battle", what we lacked was trust from the community. No one believed that we could do it. But FPT was still determined: If India and China could do it, then Vietnam could do it too. In the first two years, we spent $1 million without achieving anything, and in the third year, we had a way to go and we succeeded.

But at this time, we have trust from the community. The proof is that right at the time of launching the Au Lac AI Alliance in June, more than 20 entities including state agencies, state enterprises, private companies, startups, and schools registered to become the first members.

What is the working format of the Au Lac AI Alliance?

I think there will be an office with talented, specialized people to connect the alliance's members. There will be a standing group that decides on the tasks to be done and meets monthly to discuss important, time-bound tasks.

We can have working groups such as Data, models, infrastructure, apps, and platforms. There can also be a division in charge of training for businesses, schools, and organizations to quickly popularize AI.

The alliance follows an open model. We learn all other open source software in the world to ensure that we know the world's updates and bring in Vietnamese unique characteristics.

In the alliance, those who want to delve into fields can develop their own models such as specializing in entertainment and health or make assistant applications for each citizen.

Training will be one of the important tasks of the alliance. There is no success without training on a national scale. The alliance will likely create an AI learning platform. It can be said that there is a lot of work to do.

What conditions needed for the Au Lac AI Alliance to significantly contribute to making Vietnam a powerful nation?

The State has decided to allocate a large budget for science and technology development. The Polibuto's Resolution 57-NQ/TW stated that the budget for R&D is 2% of GDP, of which funding from the society accounts for more than 60%.

The resolution also says that at least 3% of the total annual budget is allocated for science and technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation, and the figure will gradually increase according to development requirements. So how to use the budget most efficiently for technology development?

First, we should develop education, then research. We must select the elite and push them to the top, sending them to study at the world's most important AI centers. This is a long-term investment, just like the State has done before.

Previously, the State provided scholarships for experts and scientists to study in Russia and other Eastern European countries. There are quite a few generations of F1 entrepreneurs who were trained in this way, including me and the founders of FPT.

More than 20 entities including state agencies, enterprises, and universities in June established the Au Lac AI Alliance.

The first members are leading technology companies and startups such as MobiFone, VNPT, FPT, CMC, BKAV, Misa, VNPAY, Zalo, MoMo, AI For Vietnam, AI Hay, N2TP, and Finhay.

Academies and universities joining the alliance include the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Academy of Posts and Telecommunications Technology, Academy of Cryptography Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, and FPT University.

The event took place in the context of Decision 1131/QD-TTg issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh identifying 11 strategic technology groups that have a profound impact on the country's competitiveness and technological autonomy, in which AI is ranked number one.