Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and Google invited 2,000 students to participate in the 'Understanding AI to Empower Your Career Capabilities' event in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month, where a Google executive said the company has plans to expand activities that enhance community access to AI.

Speaking at the event, Marc Woo, managing director of Google Asia Pacific, noted that AI has the potential to generate between US$2,600 billion and $4,400 billion in economic value each year, citing the most recent studies on the subject.

Many countries see AI as a vital economic driver, particularly given the World Economic Forum's estimate that creative technologies, including AI, will create 97 million new jobs by 2025.

The Vietnamese government has prioritized AI, as seen by a national policy for researching, developing, and using AI by 2030 which is meant to transform Vietnam into a hub for innovation, solution development, and AI deployment, Woo said.

Vietnam’s potential in the AI sector stems from the massive proportion – about 20 percent – of young Vietnamese who are skilled in IT and particularly interested in learning about AI.  

"Google has long been committed to supporting Vietnam in efforts that promote knowledge, technology skills, and AI in a variety of disciplines. Google plans to continue expanding activities that support community access to AI," Woo said.

Amongst Google's Vietnam initiatives are courses created by specialists for young professionals, including a Google AI Essentials course.

Each course takes approximately ten hours to complete and may be taken on a personal computer or smartphone.

Full scholarships for such courses were offered to young people who attended the event, organized on May 10.

The Google AI Essentials course covers five modules: introduction to AI, maximizing productivity with AI tools, being freely creative with prompt writing abilities, responsible usage of AI, and pioneering in the context of AI development.

"Whether or not they are familiar with AI, students can find a module that suits them," said Ha Lam Tu Quynh, country communications and PR lead, Vietnam at Google Asia Pacific.

Young people interested in the Google AI Essentials scholarship scheme can learn more at: https://grow.google/ai-essentials/.

Xiuxian Ho, communications manager for Google Singapore, used the event to reveal the latest developments in Gemini, Google's AI chatbot, demonstrating how it can be used to improve efficiency by optimizing key words and data.

Le Van Thanh, a Google solution architect, also demonstrated Google’s AI technology for students, using his time at the event to showcase Gemini’s ability to produce an effective résumé, as well as compose essays and other creative materials.

Knowing how to use AI is not enough

Truong Chi Bao, a doctor with a specialist level-1 degree from Nhan Tam Dental Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that properly using AI for study or work requires the ability to check and judge the AI output. 

Relying too heavily on AI, Bao said, is impractical in professions that require an extensive understanding of the topic, such as medicine.

According to Dang Anh Tuan, deputy managing editor and director of Tuoi Tre's Center for Digital Content Development, it is critical to keep updated on new developments in AI through courses, workshops, and educational programs.

Still, Tuan echoed Bao's view that it is critical to question and verify AI outputs.

According to Le Van Quoc Anh, head of the faculty of information technology at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, an 'Introduction to AI' course will be included in the curriculum for all students next year.

The course is intended to provide students with a basic understanding of the operation of AI, relevant algorithms, and how to use it in practice.

Understanding how to utilize AI is not enough; the young must also be aware of some ethical and legal issues surrounding AI use, such as private rights and data security, Anh noted.

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