AI Taiwan

The nation’s first artificial intelligence (AI) academy yesterday had its first-semester graduation ceremony at Academia Sinica in Taipei, where MediaTek Inc and other businesses were eager to hunt talent.

The Taiwan AI Academy, which opened its doors on Jan. 27, offers two courses: a skills training program and a weekend program for business managers, which admitted 210 and 320 students respectively, mainly from the electronics, information and manufacturing sectors.

Over the past three months, academy members were trained in information-packed courses that involved statistics, algorithms, deep-learning theories and project presentation, academy chief executive officer Chen Sheng-wei (陳昇瑋) said.

A lack of professionals is the main problem facing AI development in the nation, he said.

A lively learning atmosphere could be felt at Academia Sinica, as the academy members have developed many appealing projects, such as a forecast device for the nation’s stock market, he said.

Local businesses, including MediaTek, AU Optronics Corp, Inventec Application Corp, Chunghwa Telecom Co and Cathay Financial Holding Co, were waiting to recruit talent outside the conference hall where the graduation ceremony took place.

International Business Machines Corp general manager Lisa Kao (高璐華), who was a guest speaker at the ceremony, said the company sees AI technology as “human plus machine,” instead of “human versus machine,” meaning that people should be assisted, not replaced by AI.

In developing AI, the company adheres to three principles: its purpose should be clear, its application should be transparent and talent cultivation is crucial, Kao said.

The academy’s campus at Hsinchu Science Park is taking applications until May 22, while other campuses in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung would open soon, academy director Tsai Ming-shun (蔡明順) said.

Date：2018-04-29
Source：Taipei Times