The global wave of AI is reshaping industries worldwide. Chi-Huey Wong, former president of Academia Sinica and current chairman of the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI), believes that the application of AI across various sectors represents a golden opportunity for Taiwan. He highlights "multi-functional robots" and "biotech and medical applications" as two areas with the potential to excel on the global stage. With the assistance of AI, the drug development process can be shortened by over five years, with improved success rates.
Wong points out that Taiwan's technology industry, which once led the world in hardware, now has an opportunity to take the lead in AI-driven product specification development as its software capabilities catch up. Below are key insights from his interview:
Q: The AI wave is sweeping the globe, and you've said that AI represents an opportunity for Taiwan. Why is that?
A: Taiwan holds a key advantage in AI with its leadership in chip and hardware manufacturing. This is further bolstered by the contributions of outstanding Taiwanese-American entrepreneurs in the U.S., such as those leading NVIDIA, AMD, and Supermicro, whose close collaborations with Taiwan reinforce its global standing. Additionally, Taiwan benefits from a world-leading healthcare system, a unique National Health Insurance (NHI) program, an extensive biobank, and a culture of innovation. Moreover, with President Lai Ching-te's medical background, there is significant emphasis on public health, driven by the "Healthy Taiwan" initiative to improve healthcare quality and public well-being. These factors position Taiwan to create a new wave of economic prosperity.
AI will revolutionize countless industries, research methods, and lifestyles. However, as a human-created tool, AI has its limitations. If its data is incorrect, acquired illegally, or fails to respect the contributions of original creators and other fields, it may have negative consequences. Policymakers must not only encourage AI development but also regulate it appropriately.
AI’s foundation lies in mimicking human neural networks. While it has made significant progress, there is still room for improvement in computational power, energy efficiency, and applications.
Q: In the AI era, which fields could Taiwan excel in?
A: Beyond chip and hardware manufacturing, Taiwan has significant potential in applications like "multi-functional robots" and "biotech and medical applications." Other promising areas include process optimization, healthcare system management, environmental and traffic improvements, disaster prediction, and the prevention of sudden events or diseases.
Q: What opportunities do you see in the biotech industry? Are there any applications that particularly impress or excite you?
A: AI can be applied across the entire spectrum, from research and development to disease treatment, prevention, and health promotion. I’m particularly excited about using AI and deep learning to assist in new drug molecule and broad-spectrum vaccine design, as well as in personalized precision medicine.
As we deepen our understanding of individual genomes and proteomes, AI can help develop tailored medical strategies for specific groups or individuals. This includes drug design, manufacturing, clinical trial design and analysis, and patient recruitment for clinical trials to improve success rates. Ultimately, AI could help achieve true personalized precision medicine.
Q: How much time and labor can AI save in drug development?
A: This depends on the specific applications and the accuracy and volume of available data. Assuming everything is done correctly, AI can assist in every stage of drug development—from molecular design to analyzing which patients and drugs are suitable for clinical trials. AI can also optimize manufacturing processes. While traditional drug development often takes over a decade, AI and big data could shorten this process by at least five years and significantly increase success rates.
In addition, AI has revolutionized medical imaging and diagnostics. For example, early-stage cancers that were previously undetectable can now be identified more accurately and efficiently, improving diagnostic effectiveness. These advancements present significant opportunities for Taiwan’s biotech industry, encompassing new drug development, diagnostics, AI-driven imaging, and personalized medicine. Taiwan will undoubtedly carve out a prominent role in the global biotech-AI race.
Q: How soon can Taiwan position itself as a leader in AI healthcare and compete internationally?
A: Taiwan began exploring AI as early as 20 years ago. While its tech industry initially focused on hardware, which it excelled at through global OEM manufacturing, the recent surge in AI software development has ushered in a new era of industrial transformation. Taiwan, as the world’s largest supplier of chips and hardware, also possesses valuable computing power and biobank resources.
With the combined strengths of its hardware and software capabilities, Taiwan is poised to stand out in this AI revolution and has the potential to lead globally in setting product standards.
Resource: 中研院前院長、生策會會長 翁啟惠：AI應用大浪潮 是台灣的機會
