Jeff Dean's vision: From multimodal excellence to ethical AI

DNHN - According to a study on Vietnam's digital economy by Google, it is forecasted that by 2030, the annual economic impact value of digital technology in Vietnam could reach 1,733 trillion VND (equivalent to 74 billion USD).

A significant contribution to this figure comes from AI across various sectors of the digital economy. As Vietnam stands on the brink of a major opportunity to leverage the power of AI to drive economic growth and address social issues, the Generative AI Summit 2024, the first conference on Generative AI in Vietnam, will help the country delve deeper into the new era of AI.

With the theme "New Horizons," the Generative AI Summit 2024 took place on August 18, 2024, in Ho Chi Minh City, under the auspices of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, co-organized by the New Turing Institute (NTI) and Rethink Healthcare Foundation (RHF), in collaboration with the National Innovation Center (NIC) and Fulbright University. The conference brought forth the latest advancements in generative artificial intelligence technology.

The ethical aspects of AI development

This is the first time Vietnam has gathered top global talent in large language models (LLMs). The "New Horizons" theme of generative AI was deeply and practically explored, from research on "GenAI's Foundational Model," to applications across industries, and its relationship with humans in the new era through "Practical Applications of GenAI" and "Opportunities for Vietnam".

Notably, the event featured the direct participation of Mr. Jeff Dean, Google's Chief Scientist and one of the world's leading experts. He is a co-founder of Google Brain, Google Translate, Gemini, and numerous products that have helped Google dominate the global tech industry.

With the "GenAI's Foundational Model," Dr. Jeff Dean—Google's Chief Scientist—revealed breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence through Google's advanced Gemini models. He emphasized how Gemini 1.5 Pro, Google's revolutionary AI infrastructure, excels in processing vast data contexts including text, audio, images, and video. "Our goal is to create an all-in-one model, addressing challenges across text, images, audio, and video under one roof," Dr. Jeff Dean shared. This groundbreaking capability allows Gemini to handle complex interactions in AI, surpassing previous technologies like OpenAI's GPT-4.

Additionally, Dr. Jeff Dean highlighted the ethical aspects of AI development, advocating for Google's seven guiding principles to ensure AI serves societal benefits with security integrated into its design. Focusing on practical applications, Gemini's advancements are proving crucial in fields like healthcare, enhancing diagnostic capabilities, and environmental monitoring.

For Dr. Jeff Dean, AI is not just an advanced technology that changes how humans process data and make decisions. It will be a tool that brings tremendous benefits and creates a better life when developed correctly, requiring developers to always maintain high standards of ethics and social responsibility. AI offers unprecedented opportunities for humanity.

For AI developers, the challenge is not only in building powerful tools but also in building them based on ethics and principles. Dr. Jeff Dean particularly emphasized the importance of combining AI with human intelligence. "These clear benefits are why Google invests heavily in AI research and development, while also making AI technology widely available to others through our tools and open-source code," Dean shared.

Dr. Jeff Dean emphasized: "AI has the potential to transform industries and improve lives, but it's essential that we develop it responsibly and ethically. For AI to truly reach its potential, we need to invest in education and provide opportunities for young talent to access this technology. This is not only the responsibility of tech companies but of society as a whole."

AI and the challenges in attracting talent

The speakers also agreed that Vietnam has many advantages in AI development, thanks to its market, human resources, and startup ecosystem. However, challenges remain, such as low labor costs and the necessity to invest in AI education and training to enhance competitiveness. "Vietnam is in a unique position to lead AI innovation in Southeast Asia and beyond," said Nguyen Duc Toan, Country Director of Google Cloud, regarding Vietnam's unique advantages in the global and regional context.

Regarding talented human resources, Dr. Luong Minh Thang, Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, co-founder of NTI, Head of the Alpha Geometry team (which recently won a Silver Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad), and a senior expert at Google, noted that Vietnam has a strong educational tradition, particularly in mathematics and sciences, creating a high-quality workforce for the AI sector. Vietnamese students regularly achieve high results in international mathematics competitions, demonstrating strong logical thinking and problem-solving skills—key skills for AI development. He also remarked that "Vietnamese students have a strong passion for mathematics, positioning them well to excel in the new era of AI-driven reasoning."

Although Vietnam has great potential, it still faces many challenges in building AI infrastructure and attracting talent, particularly in mathematics and science. The speakers also proposed cooperation between universities, businesses, and the government to build a strong AI ecosystem. Notably, Vietnam is expected to need an additional 100,000 AI experts in the next five years to meet market demands.

"My top priority is training young Vietnamese scientists and connecting global knowledge with Vietnam, especially the breakthrough developments in AI technology to make an impact in Vietnam. Twenty years ago, I was a student competing in international math contests, and after my journey in the U.S. and working at Google, I’ve seen the deep connection between AI and mathematics. We hope that through this event, we can open up a broader picture for Vietnam's technology ecosystem, from the presence of top scientists, international math prodigies, to successful global leaders and entrepreneurs. From mathematical thinking to research on GenAI's Foundational Models, applications in various industries in the new era, and the opportunities for Vietnam," Dr. Luong Minh Thang shared.

Vietnam is currently a bright spot in the otherwise gloomy global economic landscape and is recognized as one of the countries with a dynamic innovation ecosystem thanks to the rapid development of the digital economy and the strong growth of the technology sector. Last year, Vietnam actively collaborated with major global technology corporations, particularly from the U.S. like NVIDIA, Google, and META, to develop its innovation ecosystem in strategic and potential sectors like AI and semiconductors.

It is known that the AI Summit is an annual event organized by the New Turing Institute (NTI) since 2018, aiming to create a platform to connect the domestic AI community with global experts. To date, NTI has successfully built an AI-loving community with over 30,000 participants and trained more than 1,500 AI talents for Vietnam. NTI's activities revolve around three core pillars: Education, Research, and Startups.

Rethink Healthcare Foundation (RHF) is a non-profit organization aimed at accelerating innovation and invention in medicine to improve the quality of life for billions of people around the world. The organization focuses on building a sustainable, accessible healthcare ecosystem with high technology. In the short term, RHF's strategic pillars include Education, Research, and Community Building.

With a mission to nurture and inspire a new generation of leaders and ambitious thinkers from diverse backgrounds to serve Vietnamese society and contribute to a better world, Fulbright University Vietnam is the country’s first liberal arts university. Established on the foundation of a strong Vietnam-U.S. partnership, Fulbright constantly pursues innovation in teaching and all its activities, seeking bold and ethically sound solutions to local and global challenges.

The National Innovation Center (NIC) of Vietnam is a unit under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, established by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 1269/QĐ-TTg on October 2, 2019, with the function of supporting and developing Vietnam’s startup and innovation ecosystem, contributing to a growth model based on science and technology. NIC is built with the most advanced models and practices, suitable for Vietnam's context, featuring specific policies that are superior and competitive compared to the region and internationally.

Uyen Nhi - Phuoc Lap