Network void draws focus:
Panellist stresses lack of Thai data ownership
Thailand is in dire need of formulating its own digital network platform for national data security and competitiveness, according to panellists at the Bangkok Post International Forum on “Asian Transformation: The Changing Landscape”.
Most Thai citizens’ online data is held by foreign tech companies such as Line, Google and Facebook. A local platform would give Thailand more control over personal data and help Thai firms better understand the population for the sake of social, economic and political benefit.
These OTT companies never pay a single baht in tax in Thailand.
FOR THAIS, BY THAIS
“Don’t let foreigners know Thais better than Thais know Thais ,” said Niltita Loetruangsuphakun, chief executive and co-founder of Skymind. “It’s time the government put innovation at the top of the national agenda.”
The country risks losing total control over its data to foreign companies, she said. Thailand needs to have a national digital platform, otherwise the country risks losing tools necessary for stability and competitiveness.
Promoting artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial to the mission. If companies don’t have their own AI laboratories, 70% of Thai firms are projected to shut down in 20 years, Ms Niltita said.
She said the government should encourage Thai companies to develop a broad digital platform for Thais who live in the country.
“The data ownership must stay in Thailand and be able to be shared across industries,” she said.
The government should focus on producing a larger talent pool and allocate budgets for AI and programming. In the entire world there are 160 AI experts, but not one of them lives in Thailand.
“It’s time for the government to overhaul the educational system and put AI on the national agenda,” Ms Niltita said.
Government must have a pragmatic way to address AI with a national agenda, she said.
“We need to have ‘big data’ included in education,” she said. “Other countries have big data ingrained in education. Human intelligence and AI are at the same IQ level. In the next three years, AI will exceed
human intelligence.”
Nations that fall behind on AI development and adoption won’t succeed in the future, she said.
The government needs to allocate a budget to promote Thai startups and create a financial system to fund and encourage innovation. Outdated financial regulations should be revamped to promote a fully cashless society.
Somkid Jiranuntarat, chairman of Kasikorn Business-Technology Group, supports this idea, but he said the government doesn’t need to provide financial support and instead should modernise regulations.
He said Thais are already talented in inventing, coding and designing AI, having won awards in the field. The country needs more of this talent in the workforce.
Thakorn Piyapan, chairman of Krungsri Consumer, said the Thai government must overhaul the existing, outdated regulatory framework and build a financial system to fully promote digital mobile banking and promote a cashless society.
BEYOND BITCOIN
Mr Somkid said blockchain technology can do more than just cryptocurrency work. There are many advantages to cryptocurrency, reliability being at the forefront. He said Kasikorn has utilised blockchain.
Mr Piyapan said the advantage of blockchain is that cross-border transfers can be done instantly. Blockchain has many use cases for private enterprises but remains a new technology that must be studied, he said.