The “Chinese Association for Academic and Professional Success” (CAAPS) held its 49th annual conference with the theme “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Future Society: Integration, Transformation, and Ethics” in Flushing, New York on September 8th. Visiting New York, Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang and the Chair of the National Science Council, Cheng-Wen Wu, served as keynote speakers at the opening luncheon.
The luncheon of the 49th annual conference of CAAPS was attended by 350 people. President of the Republic of China, Ching-Te Lai, sent his congratulations to the conference. Chairman of the association, Hui-Yin Hsu, noted that CAAPS, founded in 1975, is one of the most active and influential Chinese organizations in the United States. Its main goals are to promote friendship and collaboration in academic and professional activities, advance scientific knowledge, uphold social and human values, and facilitate cultural exchange among Chinese and other ethnic groups. President Yee Chian mentioned that this year’s conference would focus on integrating artificial intelligence into society, transforming industries, and addressing the ethical implications of AI.
Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang, who is currently on a 10-day visit to the United States, attended the CAAPS annual conference and delivered a keynote speech titled “AI-Driven Smart Taipei,” sharing insights on how Taipei is striving to become a city driven by AI technology. Chiang expressed that this visit to New York marked his first official trip to the U.S. since taking office as Mayor of Taipei. The delegation also included Taipei City Councilor Shia-Chin Tai and bipartisan council members, as well as officials from various city departments. Chiang met with New York City Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, while Tai met with the Chair of the New York City Council Majority.
Chiang elaborated on Taipei’s efforts to develop a “smart city” and emphasized the integration of AI technology into municipal governance. He highlighted that AI can be applied across various aspects of city management. In October of this year, Taipei plans to introduce AI into its “Convenience Service Hotline 1999.” This initiative aims to streamline responses to citizen inquiries by providing precise answers, thereby reducing the workload of hotline operators and shortening response times. Furthermore, the city intends to explore the possibility of generating automated voice responses for citizens’ queries post-interaction.
Acknowledging the risks associated with AI, such as privacy breaches, Taipei has strengthened preventive measures in these areas. Taipei became the first city in Taiwan to establish the “Artificial Intelligence Operating Guidelines” comprising nine major scenarios, six responsibilities, and four regulations, while drawing on standards and regulations from major cities worldwide. Chiang stated, “The goal is to encourage innovation among Taipei’s public servants rather than blindly employing AI.” Taipei has categorized AI application areas into “low-risk,” “medium-risk,” and “high-risk” sectors to enhance risk mitigation measures.
Chair of the National Science Council, Cheng-Wen Wu, delivered a keynote speech titled “A Brief History of the Silicon Island and the Vision of an AI Island.” He outlined Taiwan’s technological development aspirations of becoming an “AI Island,” leveraging the country’s existing strengths in semiconductor and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industries. Wu emphasized the core values of utilizing technology to address societal needs and challenges, promoting innovation, sustainability, inclusivity, and resilient technical development. The goals include supporting innovation and transformation among small and medium-sized enterprises, advocating for AI and chip applications across industries, fostering industrial research and development, ensuring balanced regional industrial development, developing next-generation communication technologies (6G, satellites, etc.), ensuring technological sovereignty, enhancing the resilience of Taiwan’s information and communication technology, promoting green energy and smart grid technologies, bolstering the resilience of the power system, accelerating the transition to net-zero emissions, and achieving sustainable development. Mayor Wan-An Chiang was honored with the “Outstanding Leadership Achievement Award” at the conference. Following the luncheon keynote speeches, there were multiple thematic workshops open to the public for participation.