Bangchak launches 14th Greenovative Forum, highlighting AI for sustainability

Over 600 attendees participated in the event, which was honoured by the presence of Prasong Poontaneat, Acting Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited, who delivered the opening remarks.

Chaiwat Kovavisarach, Group Chief Executive Officer and President of Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited, delivered a keynote presentation titled “AI, Energy, and Environment.” He discussed the advantages of AI in enhancing efficiency and streamlining operations while addressing the challenges of balancing cutting-edge technology, energy demands, and environmental concerns. He highlighted that, despite AI’s significant benefits, its development and application require substantial energy consumption, further straining global resources such as water and energy – could this lead to more reliance on natural gas or nuclear energy sources as alternatives? Mr Chaiwat also introduced the groundbreaking concept of DNA Data Storage, which offers a compact, highly durable alternative to conventional data centres, significantly reducing energy usage and environmental impact.

Following the keynote, a special Fireside Chat featured Nakarin Wonkijpaiboon (Ken), Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of The Standard, on the topic “Living Sustainably with AI.” The discussion explored perspectives on navigating change and sustainably coexisting with AI in an era of rapid technological advancement.

Chayanid Kovavisarach, Senior Consultant for Net Zero at ERM, United Kingdom, further enriched the narrative by sharing insights from her work, demonstrating AI’s transformative potential to improve quality of life and address complex issues, including environmental sustainability, social inequality, and human development. She emphasized the critical need for urgent systematic governance and strategic planning to ensure AI development aligns with sustainability goals and societal compatibility.

Furthermore, Carlos Aggio, Senior Enterprise AI Value Strategy Executive at Accenture (Singapore), delivered a presentation titled “Tomorrow’s Innovations Today,” highlighting approaches to AI trends and technological advancements that support sustainable energy usage. This was followed by two-panel discussions, moderated by Nakarin Wonkijpaiboon (Ken), Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of The Standard, engaging experts from diverse industries.

The first panel, titled “Smart Solutions for Everyday Wellness,” featured Professor Suchatvee Suwansawat, Sc.D., Chairman of the Board of Trustees at CMKL University, and Gorn Wannapairote, a member of PROXIE Boy Group and a medical student at the Faculty of Medicine and Public Health, Princess Srisavangvadhana College of Medicine, Chulabhorn Royal Academy. They shared insights on the emerging trends in leveraging AI for innovations in medicine and public health.

The second-panel discussion, titled “Forward-Looking Organizations: Efficiency Meets Intelligence,” featured  Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, Chief Executive Officer of Techsauce Media Company Limited; Dr Virot Chiraphadhanakul, Managing Director and Co-founder of Skooldio Company Limited; and Ronnapong Kamnuanthip, Regional Managing Director of Mind AI Southeast Asia Company Limited. The panellists shared their insights on how the adoption of AI in the business world has significantly transformed work processes, particularly in enhancing personnel potential to strike a balance between intelligent technology and human skills and capabilities.

The event concluded with a presentation by Pat Pataranutaporn, Postdoctoral Researcher at MIT Media Lab and Co-director of the Advancing Human-AI Interaction (AHA) Initiative. His presentation, titled “The Next Frontier: AI and Future Generations,” emphasized the importance of developing and enhancing human capabilities in tandem with technological advancements, underscoring the need to find common ground for harmonious coexistence between humanity and technology.

Since its inception in 2011, the Greenovative Forum has been held annually to facilitate knowledge exchange and introduce fresh perspectives on sustainable development, with a focus on energy, technology, innovation, and the environment. This reflects Bangchak’s unwavering commitment to enhancing public awareness of critical issues and fostering collaboration among governmental, private, and public sectors to drive transformative changes and build a balanced, sustainable society together.