China-ASEAN Young Scientists Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence

Last Friday I had the chance to join a panel on AI, the role of Young Scientists (under 45), and cooperation between China and ASEAN, as part of the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO).

First, I have to say this was probably the hardest panel I’ve ever spoken at, because the moderator and some panelists spoke in Chinese, with interpreters feeding translation into headphones on stage (which wasn’t that accurate, especially when the discussion got very technical).

On my side, I shared several angles, including AI and Young Scientists. In academia we are starting to see a trend: newer researchers see quite a lot of opportunity to apply AI (not just to write papers, but to bring ML into their own field), which should let us see forecasts and new discoveries come faster.

And importantly, it gives researchers and lecturers who don’t have many tools a chance to produce work again when they return to places that don’t do fundamental science to that degree. It makes it easier for newer lecturers to take on the role of ‘innovator/researcher.’

As for the impact on people outside academia, educational institutions and lecturers have a lot to contribute too. At the least, they push ordinary people to understand AI or use it more. One example is the “New Generation Graduates: AI for SME” project of the Office of Lifelong Learning (NRLL), which trains local entrepreneurs to bring AI knowledge into the work of their own businesses.

And finally, there is the role of Young Scientists who join together in associations such as TYSA, which can be a platform connecting YS with people of every age group (this ties into lifelong learning too). That includes:

1. Empowering and promoting spaces for young people to see the importance of science, technology, and innovation.
2. Science communication, getting research or difficult subjects across to ordinary people.
3. Policy recommendation, which gathers the voices of the new generation, voices that used to be only a distant breeze in the ear, and turns them into a nearby whisper for the people who design our country’s policy.

For me, stages that focus on YS aren’t very common yet. This event helped show that the role of YS is gradually being shifted toward being a bridge between academia, society, and the private sector. I hope we’ll see more of an ecosystem in which YS in ASEAN and China can really work together.

There are actually many more interesting issues from this event, mostly from outside the conference room. I’ll write about them bit by bit.

P.S. CHAGEE in China is delicious.