2022 ALPF Session 3 was focused on Digital ASEAN – Digitalization and Transformation moderated by Siriwat William Chhem, Director, Centre for Inclusive Digital Economy, Asian Vision Institute and Advisor, Council for the Development of Cambodia.

Georg Chmiel, Kok-Chin Tay, Kieu My (Kimi), Doan Jasmine, Thazin Aung and M. Nazri Muhd discussed on these questions:

● What are new challenges and opportunities in the Digital Economy?

● What is the future of digital technologies and innovation in ASEAN?

● How can ASEAN promote digital growth and benefit from artificial and intelligence and prepare for the 4th Industrial Revolution?

● How to accelerate digital access in ASEAN?

● What are the trends and key issues in digitalization?

● What is the future of digital technologies and innovation in ASEAN?

● How can ASEAN collaborate to enhance cybersecurity and digital trust?

Prof Nazri provided strategic considerations in order to leapfrog Cambodia’s AI roadmap – as to whether it needs more programmers and coders with AI knowledge or it needs more problem solvers with design thinking skills utilizing AI to solve industry pain points.

He encouraged Cambodians to reskill and upskill in Ai in a non-technical manner across sectors like healthcare, education and micro/small businesses to catch up with the rest of the ASEAN region.

AI is relevant for these sectors as AI can be deployed to improve productivity, save cost, generate more valuable insights to optimise operations and outcomes. Through the adoption of AI, these will lead to new jobs created and increase employment.

The focus on digital transformation aims to showcase how technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), can be used to achieve social impact for the most impacted groups.