Hsiao Bi-khim analyzes global AI challenges, as Taiwan launches ten new initiatives.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim stated at a public event today that with the rapid evolution of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), unprecedented development opportunities have been brought to the globe, accompanied by numerous new types of risks and challenges. The international community currently maintains diverse and divergent discussions regarding whether strict regulations should be imposed on artificial intelligence. How to accurately grasp development opportunities amidst potential risks and uncertainties is an important issue that industry, government, academia, and research sectors across all nations must jointly and seriously contemplate.

Hsiao further analyzed the structural transformation in Taiwan's long-term technology industry development process. She admitted that in the past, Taiwan was long perceived by the outside world within the international industrial division of labor as following a development model that "emphasized hardware over software." However, facing the fierce impact of the current global wave of digital transformation and intelligentization, Taiwan can no longer adhere to old mindsets. To respond to future international competition, the government is currently actively promoting various policies, hoping to reverse past imbalances and achieve a development pattern that gives equal weight to both software and hardware, thereby strengthening the overall resilience and added value of the industry.

To concretely implement the strategic goal of balancing both software and hardware, Hsiao noted that the government is continuously expanding the application scope of software across various industries through major national-level policies such as the promotion of the "New Ten Major AI Construction" projects. This policy is not merely aimed at the enhancement of technology itself; rather, it hopes to drive the comprehensive digital transformation of domestic traditional industries and startups through the upgrading of infrastructure, allowing artificial intelligence technology to truly take root and penetrate every corner of Taiwan's society, becoming a new engine driving national economic growth.

In addition to economic and industrial considerations, Hsiao also specifically emphasized the core values and ethical principles of technological development. She pointed out that while promoting the development of various cutting-edge technologies, Taiwan must ensure that all technological advancements are people-oriented and take the promotion of overall societal progress and well-being as their ultimate goal. This means that in the pursuit of technological innovation and efficiency, important dimensions such as social equity, information security, and the protection of human rights must be balanced, avoiding the widening of social divides caused by technological development.

From the macro perspectives of international geopolitics and the global technology supply chain, these remarks by Hsiao highlight Taiwan's strategic thinking at a critical moment of transformation. As a major hub for global semiconductor and hardware manufacturing, Taiwan plays an indispensable role in the global AI wave. Nevertheless, successfully extending the formidable advantages of hardware manufacturing into the fields of software applications and AI governance will be the key to determining whether Taiwan can maintain its global technological leadership in the coming decades. Through policy guidance and resource investment, the government is attempting to forge a sustainable development path for Taiwan's technology industry that balances innovation, security, and inclusivity.