Professor Toby Walsh warns of the risk of 'digital colonization' in the AI ​​era

DNVN - Professor Toby Walsh highly appreciated Vietnam's consideration of promulgating the Law on Artificial Intelligence (AI), and warned about potential dangers that humans may encounter in the AI ​​era, including the issue of "digital colonization".

Professor Toby Walsh spoke at the panel discussion "AI for humanity - AI ethics and safety in the new era" - an activity within the VinFuture Prize 2025 science and technology week.

Using AI responsibly

Having spent 40 years researching AI, Professor Toby Walsh, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and also a senior researcher at CSIRO Data61, a leading science center in Australia, said that in the first 30 years he was only "interested in how to develop AI more and more powerfully" but in the last 10 years, he "has become increasingly interested and vocal about developing AI responsibly".

Citing the example of the use of an AI system in the US, which used racially biased historical data resulting in discriminatory sentences against black people, Professor Walsh stressed the need to use AI responsibly.

“Companies that deploy and operate AI systems need to be held accountable for the consequences these machines cause,” said Toby Walsh.

To force businesses to practice “responsible AI,” he said, users “need increased transparency. It is important to understand the capabilities and limitations of AI systems. We should also “vote by doing,” that is, choose to use responsible services. Turning responsible AI use into a commercial advantage for businesses is a good way to regulate their behavior.

Escape the "digital colonization" trap

Among the risks that AI brings, Professor Toby Walsh particularly emphasized the possibility of being “digitally colonized”. “I am very aware that in the past, many developing countries have gone through a period of physical colonization. If we are not careful, we may go through a period of digital colonization. Your data will be exploited and you will become a cheap resource. This is at risk if developing countries develop the AI ​​industry in a way that only exploits data without controlling and protecting their rights,” he said.

According to him, to escape this danger, it is necessary to promote unique values, indigenous culture and need laws to protect those values.

“I am very happy that Vietnam is one of the pioneering countries that will have a specialized Law on Artificial Intelligence. Vietnam's values ​​and culture are different from Australia, China and the United States. We cannot expect technology companies from China or the United States to automatically protect Vietnamese culture and language. Those things must be proactively protected by Vietnam itself,” Professor Toby Walsh emphasized.

In addition, he believes that we need to proactively invest in people, improve skills for everyone, for entrepreneurs, for AI businesses, universities... so that they understand AI. "Instead of waiting for other countries to transfer technology or give direction, we must be proactive and master the technology" - Professor Toby Walsh shared.

Along with that, according to Professor Toby Walsh, it is necessary to strongly mobilize social networking platforms to create a safe environment for users in Vietnam in particular and the world in general, while not affecting the country's democracy.

Professor Toby Walsh is the author of three books on artificial intelligence: "It's Alive! Artificial Intelligence from the Logic Piano to Killer Robots" covers the history and current development of AI; "2062: The World that AI Made" explores the potential impact of AI on human society. His third book, "Machines Behaving Badly: the Morality of AI," delves into the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence.

Professor Toby Walsh is a regular guest on famous TV channels such as ABC, BBC, CNN, DW, NPR, RT... with the topic of the impact of AI and robots on society. He is also a writer with many articles published in The New Scientist, American Scientist, Le Scienze, Cosmos, Technology Review, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Conversation...

Hien Thao

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/giao-su-toby-walsh-canh-bao-ve-nguy-co-bi-do-ho-so-trong-thoi-dai-ai/20251203061618510