Businesses are sending only a few employees to learn about AI to see if they can understand anything, Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the HCM City Digital Transformation Center (HCMC – DXCenter), said at an event on digital transformation held on June 17 in HCM City.

Hoa spoke at the event “From Digital Transformation to Artificial Intelligence Transformation – Solutions for Businesses and the Workforce”.

He noted that 97.5 percent of businesses in HCM City are micro, small, and medium enterprises, lacking resources to engage with AI. Thus, when HCMC-DXCenter organizes short-term training courses, businesses only register 3-5 employees to attend. 

“They participate in training courses cautiously,” Hoa said, noting that businesses are unsure about how AI applications will generate specific profits and benefits. 

Businesses hesitate to invest heavily when they cannot yet envision the effectiveness of the investment in AI.

For individuals, besides limited budgets, they also worry about information security when using a new tool. Negative online information collected by bots can be a barrier causing concern about using AI, according to Hoa.

Lien Nguyen, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google Vietnam, noted that the first obstacle is user awareness. Many still think AI applications are distant and complex. However, in reality, AI is already being used in fields like healthcare, disaster forecasting, and teaching.

Gemini, an AI assistant developed by Google, for example, helped her 77-year-old friend in Australia plan a trip and find travel itineraries easily.

Nguyen Tien Huy, CEO of Pencil Group, a company specializing in brand positioning for major brands, pointed out that with AI, data collection time is reduced to one-tenth of what it used to be. By saving time, businesses can use that time for in-depth report analysis after data collection, improving work quality and competitive advantage in the market.

However, Huy noted that humans must also have ‘critical thinking’ skills. AI is like a partner with vast knowledge, but that knowledge is not always accurate. 

Knowledge is created on the internet by many people with different perspectives, and AI struggles to identify which data is accurate or suitable for the context to return to users.

“Vietnamese people are good at adopting new tools, but often skip understanding them deeply. We need a mindset of using AI correctly and creatively instead of mechanically. Companies that are more creative will have more opportunities when applying AI. Competing by content volume will kill businesses,” Huy said.

AI application nowadays is a ‘must’, not just a ‘suggestion’. Huy said the center has collaborated with the HCM City Fatherland Front to launch the “Digital Literacy Movement” with a goal of training 2 million young people in basic AI. Additionally, the center will launch an online training platform linked to AI and digital transformation locally.

Tran Chung