Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday.
The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei.
The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said.
Photo: Lin Jing-hua, Taipei Times
The pace of automation in the global economy can be gauged by Jeff Bezos’ announcement that robots now outnumber the human workforce of Amazon Technologies Inc, she added.
Robots would reduce the number of jobs in an economy, but also improve people’s quality of life and working conditions by taking over the most dangerous or difficult tasks, Hsiao said.
The government is investing in AI to encourage balanced economic development and maintain Taiwan’s technological edge, which has significant national security implications, she said.
The government’s initiatives to kick-start robotics had setbacks and is sure to have more of them in the coming years, as mistakes are the inevitable cost of making progress in any endeavor, she added.
“We must tolerate failure and find solutions when we fail for the nation to go forward,” Hsiao said.
The government’s role in the nation’s bid to develop AI and robotics is to create an appropriate regulatory environment, provide subsidies for introducing robots into various sectors, forge international partnerships, and integrate research-and-development efforts, she said.
The Taiwan AI and robotics alliance was set up by six industry groups, including the Taiwan Automation and Intelligence Robotics Association.
The alliance’s goal is to achieve more than NT$1 trillion (US$33.95 billion) in production output value by 2030, and has plans to develop autonomous vehicles, robot walkers, humanoid robots and “special application platforms,” the association said.
Taiwan specializes in the development of technological elements used in robotics production, such as controllers, sensors, chips and machinery, while also providing integrated system solutions, and developing AI computing capabilities and smart software, it said.
These strengths should help Taiwan set up an AI robotics ecosystem and develop AI robotics technologies up to international standards to help Taiwanese products become competitive in the global market, it added.
The ambitious plans would require Taiwanese industry to cooperate in forging self-sufficient supply chains for decisionmaking algorithms, drive controls, sensor suites and power plants, the association said.
The alliance would focus on introducing robotic products to eight major sectors — medicine, logistics, agriculture, manufacturing, long-term care, food, disaster relief and rovers — it added.
The other groups in the alliance are the Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders’ Association, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association, the Taipei Computer Association, and the Cloud Computing and IoT Association in Taiwan.
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