A new government policy dubbed the “Taiwan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan 2.0” aims to increase the value of the nation’s AI industry to more than NT$250 billion (US$8.16 billion), the Executive Yuan’s Office of Science and Technology Policy said yesterday.
The policy is a continuation of the four-year “Taiwan AI Action Plan” approved in 2018, which received NT$40 billion in funding to train 33,000 people in AI-related industries and contributed to more than 48.7 percent of corporations deploying AI solutions, the office said.
The initial policy, which ran through 2021, sought to establish Taiwan as a hub of international AI innovation, and oversaw Google in 2018 announcing its Smart Taiwan Initiative, as well as Microsoft’s establishment of a research and development (R&D) center in Taiwan in 2018, the office said.
Photo: REUTERS
US company Synopsys in 2020 established an AI design center in Hsinchu, it said.
The new plan, which would run from this year through 2026, would focus on fostering talent, industry development, enhancing work environments and increasing technological clout in overseas markets, the office said.
The project would go hand in hand with the “five plus two” innovative industries policy and the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, the Executive Yuan said.
The “five plus two” innovative industries refer to the “Asian Silicon Valley,” biomedical technology, green energy, robotics, defense and aviation, innovative agriculture and a circular economy.
The office said that the latest plan would examine how AI affects society, such as how jobs are changing, to better inform the government to address possible policy changes.
The government hopes to use AI technology to resolve labor shortages, address issues such as a hyper-aging society and achieve goals such as net zero greenhouse gas emissions, it said.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs would establish an AI evaluation center, which, alongside draft acts for AI regulation, would provide a legislative bases for AI usage, the office said, adding that more laws would be drafted as AI technology is implemented in other fields, such as medicine, finance and transportation.
Cross-agency meetings are being held to discuss AI-generated content and AI-related ethics, the Executive Yuan said, adding that it would present a draft AI basic act in September.
Among the issues being discussed include AI-generated content for television, that would have to abide by regulations under the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法) and the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the office said.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do
RSS