AI as fast as possible, but safely and humanely

DNVN - At the workshop "Unlimited power and unpredictable challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) - Impact and policy response" on September 15, 2025, delegates agreed to accelerate the "AIization" process of Vietnam, while also requiring the need to ensure safety and humanity in this development process.

The workshop was co-organized by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Ministry of Public Security , the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Attending the workshop were senior leaders such as Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council and General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo member, Minister of Public Security.

AI Development in Vietnam - Great Potential, Many Risks

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, described the "unlimited power" of AI, demonstrated in the ability to "continuously learn and improve from the metadata system, helping AI become increasingly intelligent and accurate without the need for detailed programming for each specific situation". AI can "process and analyze data at a speed and scale far beyond humans", and "have multi-disciplinary applications: from medical diagnosis and treatment, smart education, automated traffic, precision agriculture, digital finance, urban and environmental management to defense and security". "AI is becoming a new productive force in the digital age" - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang said.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council spoke at the Workshop.

According to the Government Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index report published by Oxford Insights, Vietnam's ranking has improved significantly in recent years. In 2024, Vietnam ranked 51st out of 188 countries and territories; in East Asia, Vietnam ranked 9th and 5th out of 10 ASEAN countries. "In recent years, Vietnam has focused on AI training at many levels, has built in-depth training and research programs on AI, contributing to the formation of a team of domestic experts. The government is also promoting an AI innovation ecosystem, encouraging businesses to invest in research and application of this technology in production, trade, healthcare, education, transportation, finance, and has established a number of research centers and laboratories on AI" - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang shared.

According to General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, Vietnam's AI development potential is "huge, forecast to contribute about 79.3 billion USD, equivalent to 12% to Vietnam's GDP in 2030 if widely applied".

General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, spoke at the workshop.

Commenting on the opportunity to develop AI in Vietnam, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung said: “AI must become the intellectual infrastructure of the country, serving the people, developing sustainably and enhancing national competitiveness. With a young, dynamic, technology-savvy population of 100 million, Vietnam has the conditions to be both a fast user and a creator of AI products for itself and for the world." He affirmed that AI is "a great opportunity for Vietnam to rise up and become a developed country with a high income, on par with the world powers."

Security and ethical challenges posed by AI

Besides its potential, AI also poses many challenges. General Luong Tam Quang warned: "AI poses unprecedented challenges in terms of legal gaps, ethical risks, misuse of technology for cybercrime, information warfare, data privacy violations, especially the risk of impact on national defense and security."

Professor Nguyen Xuan Thang also pointed out "serious, unpredictable risks", including "the possibility of losing control over self-learning and self-adaptive AI systems". AI can cause "negative impacts on the labor market, as many traditional occupations are replaced" and "amplify social prejudices" if training data is biased. The risk of "invasion of privacy" and AI being "exploited in dangerous activities such as online fraud, spreading fake news, voice and image manipulation (deepfake)" is also very worrying. " We have begun to imagine one of the biggest dangers is the development and deployment of autonomous weapons systems, with the ability to attack and destroy targets automatically without human intervention. In addition, AI is also exploited to conduct sophisticated cyber attacks to infiltrate and destroy information systems, critical infrastructure or steal data and national secrets . In cyberspace, AI can also support the creation of fake propaganda campaigns, manipulate information and public opinion, cause internal instability and undermine public trust" - Professor, Dr. Thang said.

Faced with that risk, according to Professor Nguyen Xuan Thang, Vietnam still has many limitations such as "lack of AI experts", "incomplete infrastructure for AI research and development", and "lack of a clear and synchronous legal framework to manage this technology".

Comparing the problems that AI can cause “may be even bigger than atomic bombs”, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung admitted that AI “raises many issues about ethics, employment and social trust”.

AI in an ethical and humane way

To seize opportunities and overcome challenges, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung affirmed that Vietnam will "AI-ize as quickly as possible", popularizing AI so that "every Vietnamese person will have a digital assistant, the population will not increase but social intelligence will at least double". However, this process needs to be guided by solid ethical and humane principles.

Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that Vietnam must "develop AI quickly, safely, and humanely." He affirmed that the core philosophy is "AI is for humans, not replacing humans but serving humans, AI is an assistant to humans." "Humans are the ultimate decision makers, let AI support, not replace human thinking, values, and responsibilities," said Minister Nguyen Manh Hung.

General Luong Tam Quang also agreed with the view that it is necessary to "build a humane, safe, and humane ecosystem; AI must serve the people, protect the people, and develop for the people". Meanwhile, Professor Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang added that: "AI cannot develop sustainably without responsibility, ethics, and a clear humanistic orientation. Technology is a tool, humans are the goal and the decisive factor". He called for "exploiting and fully promoting the potential of AI, controlling and minimizing potential risks in developing this AI technology in a safe, sustainable manner, in accordance with the long-term interests of the country, protecting the rights of the people and national security".

To realize this vision, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said the National AI Strategy will be updated and the AI ​​Law will be developed by the end of this year, based on six core viewpoints: Risk-based management; Transparency and accountability; Putting people at the center; Encouraging domestic AI development and AI autonomy; Using AI as a driving force for rapid and sustainable growth; Protecting digital sovereignty, with data, infrastructure and AI technology being the three strategic pillars of digital sovereignty.

The Minister also introduced the "Vietnam AI development path" with the word "and", showing the harmonious combination of "Global and local", "Cooperation and autonomy", "Technology and application", "Creativity and control" and many other pairs of concepts. Finally, the Vietnam AI Manifesto was affirmed by Minister Nguyen Manh Hung as: "Humanity - Safety - Autonomy - Cooperation - Inclusiveness and Sustainability".

At the conference, two thematic panels on artificial intelligence were held with the participation of experts, managers and businesses. The first session, titled "AI: Power, Risks and Control", focused on analyzing the positive and negative aspects of AI and solutions to control risks in terms of ethics, safety, security and social impact.

The second session, themed "National AI Development Strategy: From Vision to Action", discussed the roadmap for implementing strategies and policies to make AI a pillar in Vietnam's socio-economic development.

Hien Thao

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/ai-hoa-nhanh-nhat-co-the-nhung-phai-an-toan-va-nhan-van/20250915094526313