After the surge of the Generative AI (GAI) wave, not only have major tech companies increased their investments in GAI to drive technological development, but various industries have also utilized GAI to initiate a new round of digital transformation. To help Taiwanese industries capitalize on this GAI trend and smoothly promote digital transformation, the Institute for Information Industry (III) held the " Future Forum on GAI-Driven Digital Transformation" on July 26th. The forum focused on the trends and shared experiences in areas such as software-driven digital transformation, senior fitness and health promotion, home energy data applications, smart city digital governance, and future AI workforce demands, all of which are key directions for future government development. With the advent of the IT Revolution 2.0, the goal is to lead industries in tackling the new era of industrial revolution.
The Institute for Information Industry (III) celebrated its 45th anniversary by hosting the forum and related events. The forum was organized by III's Digital Transformation Research Institute (DTRI) and co-organized by the Digital Transformation Association (DTA). Special guests included Minister of the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) Yen-Nun Huang, DTA Chairman Jen-Ran Chen, III President Cheng Hung Cho, III Executive Vice President Ren-Dar Yang, III Digital Transformation Research Institute Senior Vice President and Director General Yu-Fan Lin, as well as representatives from various public associations. Over 200 attendees participated in the event, creating a lively atmosphere.
Minister of the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA), Yen-Nun Huang, stated in his speech that AI could assist humans in making more accurate predictions for many tasks. Therefore, leveraging Generative AI to promote digital transformation is a technology that must be pursued in the future. As AI technology is rapidly spreading across various industries at an unprecedented pace, it is driving a comprehensive transformation and upgrade of global industries. He mentioned that the case studies demonstrated today indicate significant insights and applications in areas such as senior healthcare and smart city governance.
In addition, the Ministry of Digital Affairs will adopt a three-pronged approach, focusing on startups, mentorship, and investment, to drive rapid growth in the digital economy industry's output value, with expectations to surpass NT$1 trillion by 2026. The Ministry will dedicate more policy resources to three key areas: "building a robust AI ecosystem," "increasing AI talent," and "promoting AI adoption across industries." These efforts aim to support Taiwan’s technology and information service providers, accelerate the widespread application of AI across various industries, and further promote digital upgrades in the industrial sector.
III’s President Cheng Hung Cho stated that the year 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of the Institute for Information Industry. In different eras, each industry faces different challenges and impacts. According to surveys, companies are experiencing significant anxiety due to their insufficient grasp of new technologies. In recent years, III’s mission has shifted from being a forward-looking think tank for the government to a "third-party service provider" , assisting the industrial ecosystem in undergoing digital transformation. "Digital transformation begins with value creation." For companies to successfully go through the process of digital transformation, they must cultivate enough talent, which not only affects their short-term competitiveness but also their long-term sustainability. The speakers attending the forum all approached the topic from the demand side perspective, leading forward thinking companies on the road of value creation in digital transformation. Cho also expressed his hope that in the future, through collaboration between the Digital Transformation Research Institute and key players in various industries, paradigm case studies on industry transformation driven by digital technology can be co-authored for future reference.
DTA Chairman Jen-Ran Chen, in his keynote speech titled "Software-Driven Industrial Revolution: New Opportunities in Digital Transformation," stated that the future economy is a digital economy, with Generative AI driving a new wave of industrial revolution. The AI-fueled digital transformation trend will greatly influence various vertical applications across different sectors. He also highlighted that the dual transformation of digitalization and sustainability is a major trend, making organizations more competitive and resilient. Therefore, this software-driven digital transformation presents a shift where, for the government, public infrastructure in the digital economy era is not hardware but software.
For businesses, it is both a crisis and an opportunity; no industry can remain unaffected, and all must leverage digital technologies to solve problems and create new value.
Yu-Fan Lin, Director of the Digital Transformation Research Institute of III, shared her insights on the theme "Accelerating Research with AI: A Future View of Urban Life from a Demand-Side Perspective." She pointed out that the environment is changing rapidly, with challenges arising from an aging society, climate change, energy shortage, and housing. However, with the rapid advancement of AI/GAI, the progress made in the past five years has exceeded the combined evolution of the previous 20 years. In response, III has made independent investments in the Lab of Future Living, which serves as the first point of contact for innovative products and services about to face users and the final stage before entering the market. By combining Future Thinking methodologies with the analytical Large Language Models (LLMs), professionals can instantly identify emerging future trends. This approach helps envision the future of urban life, encompassing health, energy, entertainment, transportation, and the workplace, driving continuous innovation in products, services, and business models to meet consumer demands and ensure sustainable development.
Additionally, to further explore the intelligent applications of Generative AI (GAI) across various aspects of life, three industry representatives—Chih-Chun He, General Manager of Charlotte Swim and Health; Chien-Kun Lee, Deputy General Manager of Sin Yi Development; and Po-Huan Chiu, Founder of CAMEO—shared insights on digital technology innovations and advancements in their respective fields, focusing on elderly health promotion, home energy, and urban governance. Following these presentations, Ting-Yi Chan, Chairperson of the AI Foundation, gave a talk titled "Empowering Innovation: Future Talent Demand from the Perspective of AI Development Trends," where she emphasized that "it’s not the technology that is transforming, but the mindset." In the face of rapid technological progress and industry digital transformation, the talent landscape in AI is shifting rapidly. Organizations must double their efforts in transitioning to Generative AI, and both businesses and talent must acknowledge this challenge to find new paths for growth.
The forum concluded with a panel discussion titled "Empowering Innovation with GAI" featuring Chih-Chun He, Chien-Kun Lee, Po-Huan Chiu, and Ting-Yi Chan. The four speakers shared their perspectives on the challenges encountered during the process of driving transformation through the introduction of technology in businesses. They also shared their own transformation experiences and offered guidance for other businesses looking to undergo transformation, delving into how companies can leverage GAI technology.
Every decade, a disruptive key technology emerges in global technological development, leading to a paradigm shift across industries. It believed that Taiwan has already kept pace with this wave of transformation driven by GAI technology. In the future, as long as various sectors join forces, they are bound to contribute to Taiwan’s transformation into an "AI Smart Island."