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.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu said the strengthening of military facilities would help to maintain security in the Taiwan Strait Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to deploy missiles to the post would move forward as tensions smolder between Tokyo and Beijing. “The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Koizumi told reporters on Sunday as he wrapped up his first trip to the base on the southern Japanese island of Yonaguni. “The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.” Former Japanese minister of defense Gen Nakatani in January said that Tokyo wanted to base Type 03 Chu-SAM missiles on Yonaguni, but little progress
NO CHANGES: A Japanese spokesperson said that Tokyo remains consistent and open for dialogue, while Beijing has canceled diplomatic engagements A Japanese official blasted China’s claims that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on a Taiwan crisis as “entirely baseless,” calling for more dialogue to stop ties between Asia’s top economies from spiraling. China vowed to take resolute self-defense against Japan if it “dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait” in a letter delivered Friday to the UN. “I’m aware of this letter,” said Maki Kobayashi, a senior Japanese government spokeswoman. “The claim our country has altered its position is entirely baseless,” she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Chinese Ministry
RSS