Dr. Soontharee Namliwal, a policy specialist from the International Policy Partnership Division, represented NXPO at the AI for Social Good: Strengthening Capabilities and Government Frameworks in Asia and the Pacific Summit, held on 9-11 July 2023 in Canberra, Australia. Ms. Panchapawn Chatsuwan also attended the summit on behalf of the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC). The event was co-organized by the Australian National University (ANU), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and other alliances in the Asia-Pacific region.
The summit served as a platform for participating organizations and policy researchers involved in the “AI for Social Good: Strengthening Capabilities and Government Frameworks in Asia and the Pacific” project to share research findings and discuss issues emerging from the studies.
During the summit, the work of four projects was presented, with two projects each from Thailand and Bangladesh. The projects included: 1) Responsible Data Sharing, AI Innovation and Sandbox Development: Recommendations for Digital Health Governance in Thailand, 2) Raising Awareness of the Importance of Data Sharing and Exchange to Advance Poverty Alleviation in Thailand, 3) Mobilizing AI for Maternal Health in Bangladesh, and 4) AI in Pregnancy Monitoring: Technical Challenges for Bangladesh. Joining the meeting virtually, the project leaders from Thailand – Dr. Kommate Jitvanichphaibool, NXPO Senior Division Director and Dr. Suttipong Thajchayapong, NECTEC Senior Researcher – delivered presentations on “Responsible Data Sharing, AI Innovation and Sandbox Development: Recommendations for Digital Health Governance in Thailand” and “Raising Awareness of the Importance of Data Sharing and Exchange to Advance Poverty Alleviation in Thailand”, respectively.
Apart from the research presentations, Dr. Soontharee shared information on Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and provided a review of procedures and best practices regarding data collection, storage, usage and sharing in public health domain in developed countries. Ms. Panchapawn added information on the implication of standards and practices of PDPA on data collection, storage, usage and sharing of Thai People Map and Analytics Platform (TPMAP) which aims to support evidence-based policy.
The meeting also discussed the application of advanced technologies in sustainable development. Dr. Soontharee presented her viewpoints on this agenda which were: 1) the necessity of root cause analysis on public issues, including poverty and social inequality, 2) the potential of advanced technologies, especially AI and big data, in improving public services including public health services, and 3) the importance of good governance, observing ethics of STI while harnessing their potential.
Representatives from NXPO and NECTEC also took this opportunity to meet with the executives of ANU and network with researchers working on Humanising Machine Intelligence (HMI) Research Project and the team of the Global Research Network.
AI for Social Good: Strengthening Capabilities and Government Frameworks in Asia and the Pacific is a collaboration between UNESCAP and partner organizations in the Asia-Pacific region. The project was initiated in 2021 to study the impact of AI development and application in the region. The UNESCAP and APRU, with funding from Google.org, established a multi-stakeholder network to provide support in the development of country-specific AI governance frameworks and national capabilities.
Photo credit: Australian National University
