Thailand needs guidelines for AI, says digital economy agency chief

Nattapon Nimmanpatcharin, president and CEO of the agency, however, suggested that rather than creating guidelines from scratch, the government could study those already used in some developed countries and carefully select those that are appropriate for Thailand.

Citing the current rapid changes in technology and innovation around the world, he pointed out that Thailand must make every minute count or risk falling behind.

Nattapon made the remarks in his special lecture on “Driving the Digital Economy with Artificial Intelligence Innovation” at the second "Thailand Digital IP Forum 2024: The Next Frontier - IP in the Era of AI-Driven World".

The forum's goal was to raise awareness and knowledge about the value and significance of digital intellectual property, as well as to promote understanding of techniques for patent or copyright applications and other topics relevant to small and medium-sized enterprises, digital startups, investors, education professionals, and the general public.

The forum also served as a platform for public-private collaboration and business matching.

Nattapon highlighted that technology and innovation were now critical mechanisms for propelling both the economy and society forward, spawning new business models and transforming consumer behaviour, particularly with the advent of AI.

The government needs to take the lead on important initiatives to get ready for AI development, he said, focusing on these groups:

• AI importers should be ready to accept AI development from overseas;
• AI providers should encouraging domestic AI development;
• AI distributors should use AI to improve digital services;
• AI Manpower should get ready for AI in the digital workforce;
• AI users should push for public awareness of safe AI usage.

Nattapon pointed out that Thailand needed precise and concise guidelines informing developers, users, and all relevant parties about the extent to which one can apply AI for their work in order to fully utilise AI safely and securely. The areas of guidelines pertaining to ethnicity, synergy, algorithms, and responsibilities.

"At the end of the day, Thailand requires laws and regulations to oversee AI. Since AI technology, such as Generative AI, is still in its early stages of development, the country should strike a careful balance between enforcing AI laws that are not too strict as to prevent AI from developing further and not too weak to allow those with ill intentions from abusing AI," he said.

He emphasised personnel as another critical factor that Thailand needed to address in order to achieve a perfect AI ecosystem.

He pleaded with the public, private, and people sectors to work together to find short-cut solutions to help workers from all industries become AI literate. This means that those employees truly understand the concept, provide appropriate feedback, and use AI effectively.

The ideal, he said, is for all Thais to be perfectly AI literate.

Unfortunately, with limited time and resources, Thailand should prioritise reskilling of its current workforce in a significant real sector while also providing accessible channels to educate other Thais.

Aside from highlighting the country's readiness for AI, Nattapon addressed the emergence of AI, which poses challenges and has an impact on intellectual property protection and utilisation, such as copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and so on.

"The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, through the Digital Economy Promotion Agency, recognises and consistently promotes the creation and registration of digital intellectual property rights. Simultaneously, efforts are made to spread knowledge about AI technology. The agency hopes that these initiatives will not only protect and uphold intellectual property, but also propel the digital economy and society forward, increasing Thailand's global competitiveness," he said.

He said the Thailand Digital IP Forum 2024 would provide participants with insightful lectures and discussions from Thailand's leading experts on a variety of digital intellectual property topics.

These topics included perspectives on digital intellectual property crucial for Thai entrepreneurs in the era of innovation-driven globalisation, exploring how patents stemming from AI technology can reshape business landscapes and unlock growth opportunities through patent applications and grants.