AI for Public Good – Charting the path for an inclusive digital future in Viet Nam

By Nguyen Tuan Luong, Head of Solutions Mapping, UNDP Accelerator Lab Viet Nam, with contribution from Mc Donald Nyoni, Artificial Intelligence Landscape Assessment Policy Analyst, UNDP

November 11, 2024

a group of items on a table — UNDP in Viet Nam

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is seemingly making headlines every day, with billions of dollars being poured into it—$62.5 billion from the U.S. alone, followed by China with $7.3 billion while guzzling resources like energy and water at dizzying pace. The Global AI Index 2024 reveals that wealthy nations with strong investments lead the AI race, focusing on technologies tailored to their own needs.

As U.S. and Chinese tech giants unveil new features almost monthly, widening the gap with the rest of the world, many countries are left wondering: Where do we fit in this race? Viet Nam, along with many middle-income countries, stands at a crossroads—a rising economy with bold ambitions but limited resources. Now is the time to ask: How can we ensure AI becomes a tool for public good, rather than an imported technology that may not address local needs? Can AI in Viet Nam serve as platform for inclusive and sustainable development?

Finding Viet Nam’s Path to Ethical AI Development

Viet Nam recognizes AI’s transformative potential, laying the groundwork with the National Strategy for AI Research, Development, and Application by 2030 (127/QĐ-TTg). This roadmap positions the country to harness AI for socio-economic advancement. However, the reality remains that despite steady progress, Viet Nam lags behind regional peers like Singapore and Thailand, ranking 59th in Oxford Insight AI Readiness Index.

diagram — Viet Nam scores highly on government AI vision indicators, demonstrating its ambitious vision for AI (Oxford Insight)

(Source: https://oxfordinsights.com/ai-readiness/ai-readiness-index/)

But what does Viet Nam’s 59th ranking on an external metric really signify?

The challenge here shouldn’t be about playing catch-up but ensuring that AI development is ethical and not just another imported technology. It should be an accessible tool uniquely adapted to address local needs.

UNDP in Viet Nam, with expertise from our Chief Digital Office (CDO) and partnering with a local think tank the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS), is conducting a comprehensive AI landscape assessment (AILA) to chart a sustainable path for AI development in the public sector. This assessment provides a critical lens to identify where Viet Nam is today—and where it can be tomorrow. AILA refers to a government's readiness to ethically capitalize on the benefits of AI technology while mitigating its hazards, both as an enabler of the AI economy through strategies, policies, standards, or laws and as a user of AI in government and public services. This initiative aims to identify the strengths, gaps, and opportunities within Viet Nam’s AI ecosystem, ensuring that AI serves the public good by strengthening the critical pillars of AI development while aligning with the nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

High Stakes of AI Misuse: Navigating the risks and realities

Governments must carefully balance risks and benefits when adopting AI systems, if proactive steps aren't taken the risks of mismanagement or misuse are significant. We’ve seen the news on how students are using GenAI to cheat on exams, but the abuse of AI power can have serious consequences —when mishandled, it can lead to severe harm. AI’s misuse is no longer hypothetical—it is reshaping online scam-ring crime at an industrial scale. Southeast Asia offers a sobering case study, where sophisticated AI-powered scams have become embedded in criminal operations. Transnational criminal organizations operating across Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have rapidly adapted AI tools. Chatbots, targeted social engineering, deepfake technology, and automated scams are rampant, outpacing the ability of law enforcement to contain them according to UNODC report. In Viet Nam alone, online scams in 2023 have resulted in losses estimated between 8,000 to 10,000 billion VND (approximately $340 to $425 million USD), reflecting a sharp increase compared to previous years.

phone,computer — Cybercrime enabled by AI technology is on the rise

Photo by Lucas Andrade

(Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-black-hoodie-wearing-black-and-white-star-wars-cap-14019734/)

More alarming is the growing use of AI in military operations. New Reports suggest AI has been integrated into systems that identify and target individuals for military strikes, raising serious ethical questions. The misuse of such technology in conflict zones highlights the thin line between technological advancement and human rights violations.

What once seemed like the stuff of cyberpunk science fiction has become a chilling feature of today’s new headlines.

The stories above illustrate the critical need for governments to stay ahead of the risks posed by unchecked AI development. It highlights how technology, if not governed ethically, can exacerbate harm, fuel organized crime, and erode public trust – creating a high tech, low life dystopia. For countries like Viet Nam, this serves as a reminder: AI policies governance must prioritize safety, fairness, and inclusiveness.

Governments as Users and Ethical Enablers of AI

Public institutions, as enablers, play a critical role in laying the foundation for ethical AI development. This includes investing in safe digital infrastructure, creating inclusive policy frameworks, fostering digital literacy, and developing an accountable data ecosystem that supports innovation. This includes investing in safe digital infrastructure, ensuring renewable resources can be committed to AI, creating an inclusive policy framework, fostering digital literacy, and creating an accountable data ecosystem that supports innovation. In Viet Nam, efforts to build infrastructure through initiatives like the national data portal are essential. However, ensuring data quality and maintaining open access are challenges that can limit the effectiveness of such platforms.

graphical user interface — UNDP AI Landscape Assessment Framework Core Pillars

(Source: https://www.undp.org/blog/are-countries-ready-ai-how-they-can-ensure-ethical-and-responsible-adoption)

Beyond enabling AI development, governments must act as users, adopting AI tools to improve governance and enhance public services. AI-powered platforms can streamline service delivery, making public services more efficient, transparent, and accessible. In this regard, UNDP in Viet Nam is developing an AI-powered online public administrative services Chatbot (dichvucong.me) with RTA which uses AI-powered text and voice chats to assist citizens on how to process 15 essential administrative services to provide 24/7 personalized and human like support for citizen.

Governments also need to invest and attract private investment to stimulate AI-driven growth. However, funding is a key issue highlighted in our initial review of Viet Nam’s AILA results. Despite the strategic vision and government support, public servants and private sector representatives have reported difficulties securing adequate funding for research and implementation due to the high costs associated with AI technologies. Vietnamese venture capital (VCs) tend to prioritize AI-related business-to-consumer (B2C) products, creating obstacles for startups focused on business-to-business (B2B) AI solutions. The current funding focus often leans toward commercial consumer AI applications rather than solutions that tackle systemic challenges, such as improving healthcare, education, public service, and public safety. Encouraging venture capital investment in these areas will require creating favorable incentives for local and foreign investors to develop B2B AI systems.

Bridging the Digital Divides: A Future that Leaves No One Behind

Today’s digital technologies, particularly AI, hold the potential to reshape lives, especially for vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, by enabling them not only to participate but to thrive. However, the rapid pace of AI development—heralded as the next "golden opportunity"—raises critical questions about inclusion. As with the previous “digital gold rush” era of the dot-com boom and the cryptocurrency wave, some reap significant benefits from new technologies, while others risk being excluded from the digital economy.

The challenge ahead is ensuring equitable access to AI and other digital platforms. We must ask: Who gets to participate in this transformation? Will rural communities, older generations, or those with limited digital skills be included in this new economy—or will they be left behind? Where does the energy and water resources used for AI come from? Are they clean, renewable and equitable with local community? These questions are essential as Viet Nam embarks on its AI journey, ensuring that digital progress does not inadvertently create new forms of inequality.

When people talk about digital transformation, we often think about machines and data, but behind every line of code and data point lies a human story—a student, a farmer, a small business owner—whose life can be transformed by inclusive digital technologies. To truly harness the power of AI for the public good, we believe three critical priorities must guide Viet Nam’s efforts:

Investing in assistive technologies to ensure accessibility at scale, particularly for marginalized groups and persons with disabilities. For example, AI-powered speech recognition which can assist individuals with hearing impairments, and computer vision technologies aid those with visual impairments.
Strengthening cybersecurity and data governance to build trust in AI and digital systems, ensuring that people feel safe while engaging with these technologies.
Continuously assessing the social impact of AI, moving beyond economic growth to focus on how technology improves the lives of all citizens, especially the most vulnerable.

The future of Ethical AI development depends on all of us—policymakers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and citizens to steward it development with care. Each of us has a role to play in shaping a digital transformation that empowers rather than divides, that lifts everyone up rather than leaving some behind.

If you feel like this is a conversation you wish to be part of or have ideas to share, feel free to reach out to me at nguyen.tuan.luong@undp.org. Together, we can shape a digital future for Viet Nam that not only drives economic success but ensures technology empowers everyone—especially vulnerable communities—to thrive and fully participate in society.

Acknowledgement

This work has been made possible through the invaluable advice and support of colleagues Do Thi Thanh Huyen, McDonald Nyoni, Alexander Hradecky, and the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS), and Le Dang Trung RTA team. Their insights, expertise, and dedication have been instrumental in shaping this research and guiding the development of sustainable AI solutions for public good. The author extends heartfelt gratitude to each of them for their contributions and collaborative spirit throughout this journey.