AI so far has been used in various fields in HCMC. Take healthcare as an example. AI is a practical means in stroke diagnosis and treatment in People’s Hospital 115, Gia An 115 Hospital as well as in cancer diagnosis and treatment in HCMC Oncology Hospital. Many other hospitals in the city are using AI in their management tasks to monitor prescription processes.
Similarly, Dr. Thoai Nam from HCMC University of Technology reported that the whole traffic system in HCMC is closely monitored by a series of camera systems, which send data continuously to the Smart Traffic Control Center. AI is then implemented in data analysis of vehicle types, traffic density, traffic volume, and traveling directions so that timely traffic instructions, especially those related to congestions, could be delivered to people in need.
These years, HCMC has constantly organized various large-scaled conference on AI to collect useful ideas for the preparation of the city’s AI program.
In the festival for IT and AI businesses in HCMC in 2020, Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc shared that the implementation of AI and the launch of the digital transformation process was a great contribution to the socio-economic development of the city. Entering the second phase of transforming HCMC into a smart city, innovative IT startups are wholeheartedly promoted here.
Vice Chairman Duc reported that among 45,000 IT companies in the city, only 2 percent own the capital of over VND100 billion (approx. US$4.4 million). This means the application of AI and digital transformation may prove a serious challenge to others.
Therefore, the program ‘Researching and Developing AI Applications in HCMC from 2020-2030, with a Vision to 2030’ is initialized to turn AI to the core technology in establishing smart urban areas and smart city, promoting the development of the digital economy in HCMC, forming a sustainable ecosystem for researching and applying AI in life, making AI the key industry in GRDP growth of the city.
Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications Le Quoc Cuong said that the program has these specific goals of:
· Developing suitable mechanisms and policies for the AI market
· Building computing infrastructure (including the digital and supercomputer infrastructure to serve AI analysis tasks, researching and piloting projects)
· Creating necessary databases (comprising of the common database, the state-managed open database of various fields, and the community database)
· 100 percent of state organizations have their own professional database that are linked, shared and open to serve the implementation of AI
· Researching and piloting AI applications in solutions related to smart urban areas, smart city, current thorny issues
Introducing Decision No.575, the municipal authorities hope that it can boost the quantity of AI startups, small and medium-scaled AI businesses, as well as the capital attraction into this field.
In this program, there are 9 projects to speed up the economic development of HCMC. They include: building the digital infrastructure, constructing highly performed computing facilities, developing a portal for AI-related Solutions and Applications, hosting the IT and AI Business Festival, surveying the demands for AI applications, forming suitable mechanisms and policies concerning AI, creating a center for AI development and AI technology transfer, establishing a network of AI research centers in educational institutes, and train proper AI human resources.
