Governments emerging as AI innovation drivers or leaders
Supportive government framework and policies are expected to enable Asia Pacific to emerge as the global epicentre for the growth of artificial intelligence (AI).
Several countries across the region are focusing on leveraging AI, enhancing productivity and competitiveness. Though the key objectives of different government entities may vary from each other, all of them want to leverage their strengths to emerge either as AI innovation drivers or leaders.
The growth of urban areas in Asia-Pacific has exploded over the past few decades — between 1980 and 2010, the population living in the region’s cities grew by more than 1 billion, and by 2050, the region’s urban population will reach 3.2 billion.
Unsurprisingly, digital-related growth and investment are highly concentrated in the region’s major cities, which are playing an ever-important role in shaping and controlling digital innovation. In the process, they are also helping tackle digital governance challenges, as the report Cities as Epicenters of Digitalization, presented at the 2019 Singapore Summit, shows.
Read more: Digitization in Asia: The Critical Role of Cities
With May’s major flooding in Ratnapura, a city in Sri Lanka, and its disastrous consequences still fresh in our minds, it reminds me of a similar occurrence, this time in the city of Buenos Aires . The cosmopolitan capital of Argentina, too, is not a stranger to floods as it is built on nine streams. In 2013, a disastrous flood and endless rain caused over 50 casualties and thousands of evacuations.
The above two scenarios are pretty similar. However, perhaps locally we should be looking to and learning from what has gone before. Following the weather event, the local Buenos Aires government proactively embarked on a project to leverage big data and gain insights into rainfall and water levels during stormy seasons, leveraging on Oracle’s business intelligence capabilities.
Read more: Smart cities can serve citizens better after significant rise in urbanization in Asia
Asia’s digital revolution shows no signs of slowing down. From e-commerce giants, like China’s Alibaba and Japan’s Rakuten, to ride-hailing and digital payment tech startups, like Indonesia’s Go-Jek and India’s Paytm, and the widespread use of industrial robots for manufacturing, digitization is changing the way the region’s businesses operate.
It is also transforming the way governments operate. Thanks to digitization, policymakers have greater access to timely and accurate data. With better information, governments can design and implement better policies, such as improving tax compliance and the efficiency of government spending.
Read more: The Digital Accelerator: Revving Up Government in Asia
When you think of smart cities, images of Singapore, China, and Japan usually pop into your head, irrespective of which part of the world you live in.
It’s because of all the news about how cities in these Asian countries are accelerating projects in this avenue, leveraging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G networks.
Read more: Has Asia bought into the concept of smart cities?