BANGKOK: Group chairman of Kasikorn Business-Technology Group (KBTG), Ruangroj Poonpol, delivered a powerful speech at the second annual KBTG Techtopia, Thailand’s largest technology conference, outlining the company’s aggressive vision and commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) development.

This year’s event, themed “A Blast From the Future”, delved into the likely future with over 50 leading experts from Thailand and abroad sharing their insights on AI and game-changing technologies.

The event also showcased several cutting-edge use cases from KBTG (THaLLE, Finly, FinLearn, Luna and Future you), allowing participants to envision the immense potential of the next wave of AI and other technologies.

This year’s conference was made even more special by the appearance of Dr Andrew Ng, one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential figures in the AI world. He presented his insights in a talk titled “The Opportunities and sisks of AI”.

The speech focused on AI risks and opportunities, future AI development trends, and strategies for launching successful startups and fostering growth in Thailand.

Underscoring KBTG’s commitment to going “all-in” on democratising AI technology under the banner “AI for all”, Ruangroj, also known as Krating, announced the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Ng’s AI Fund and DeepLearning.AI.

The collaboration aims to accelerate AI adoption in Thailand by unlocking the synergy between powerful AI tools and empowering Thais to leverage AI effectively.

The two MoUs aim to form a partnership to drive AI education in Thailand.

The first is a collaboration between KBTG, DeepLearning.Ai, and AIAT to develop the KBTG.AI Kampus programme, which will support the Super AI Engineer Bootcamp.

The programme not only provides experts, tools, and training courses to incubate super AI engineers, but also provides AI curriculum support and consultation to Thai universities and government agencies.

Founded by Ng, DeepLearning.AI provides essential online courses, knowledge, and tools to help people understand AI fundamentals and improve their AI skills and productivity.

The second MoU focuses on a partnership between KBTG, AI Fund, and the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) to develop an AI assistant specifically designed for youth education.

The collaborative effort aims to explore the co-creation of AI solutions alongside all three parties to address the challenges of mental health and educational equity in Thailand.

Sharing a common passion for AI and education, KBank and KBTG have partnered to ensure that the collaboration benefits not only themselves but also Thailand’s entire AI ecosystem, fostering growth in both the education and startup sectors and propelling the country towards becoming a global leader in AI technology.

Prior to the event, KXVC, the venture capital arm of KBTG, announced its new strategic partnership aimed at growing and scaling new AI companies and startups in Thailand.

Committed partner

By combining AI Fund’s venture studio model with KBTG’s cutting-edge technological expertise - a powerful force in South-East Asia’s tech scene - the partnership aims to tackle real-world challenges through innovative new solutions. AI Fund and KXVC will join forces to build new companies and forge stronger connections within their ecosystems.

While AI isn’t a new concept, Ruangroj argues that we are currently experiencing a peak in its transformative power. Advancements in areas like generative AI, computer vision with large language models, and composite AI all point towards this.

The surge in capability is leading to a wave of enthusiasm for AI adoption, with both individuals and businesses eager to leverage its potential.

Speaking on stage at the KBTG Techtopia event on the topic “Transform to Thrive in the Age of AI”, he forecast that by 2030, domain-specific AI or vertical AI will dominate every industry.

He said domain-specific AI would equip businesses with deep knowledge of their specific field, allowing them to address unique challenges.

The approach offers advantages like tackling specific needs and meeting domain-specific challenges more effectively with less cost and resources.

Furthermore, vertical AI often utilises a “multimodal” approach, meaning it can work with various data types for a more comprehensive understanding.

In some cases, it can even involve “multi-agent systems”, where multiple AI programs collaborate on complex tasks. The collaborative approach further enhances vertical AI’s problem-solving capabilities.

While encouraging everyone and every business to engage AI as a companion and to embrace changes with an open mind, as demonstrated at KBTG, which has always been a pioneer in AI, he advised patience, curiosity and responsibility.

KBTG’s core transformation concept, “Human First, AI First”, exemplifies this approach. Ruangroj explained that the company prioritises humans as the centre for unlocking business and customer impact. By 2027, they aim to achieve this through AI-powered revenue generation, product innovation, and productivity improvements.

However, KBTG’s ambitions extend beyond the company itself.

Ruangroj emphasised their commitment to an “all-in” strategy, aiming to bring all Thais on board to benefit from AI technology. He cited the two MoUs KBTG had signed with AI Fund as evidence of its dedication to Thailand.

AI Fund footprint

Emphasising his firm belief in Thailand’s potential, Andrew Ng, a prominent figure in AI and managing general partner of AI Fund, praised the country as a top destination for the AI industry in the Asean region.

Ng’s visit aimed to explore opportunities for AI Fund to contribute to Thailand’s AI development through strategic partnerships.

He stated that technology is an essential foundation for all types of businesses. AI and smart technology are applicable to both small and medium businesses and large corporations.

He expressed an interest in sharing his expertise in AI training to strengthen the Thai workforce and improve education quality in AI fields, which aligns with the “Ignite Thailand” vision of becoming a digital-economy hub.

This reflected his intention to collaborate with KBTG and KXVC to improve AI education in Thailand while also exploring potential partnerships with Thai businesses and entrepreneurs.

To demonstrate his commitment, he held meetings with Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, the Minister Education, the Minister Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and other senior officials.

 - ANN