Category: Upcoming Events

Taiwan stands at a pivotal juncture in the global artificial intelligence landscape, leveraging its robust semiconductor ecosystem, advanced information and communication technology infrastructure, and dynamic civic technology communities to strengthen its position as a global hub for technology development. Responding to current technological trends and demands, Taiwan is increasingly placing AI as a prominent piece in its domestic economic innovation, governance, and social resilience agendas. Guided by policy frameworks such as the AI Action Plan 2.0 and President William Lai’s recently announced 10 AI Infrastructure Initiatives, Taiwan is integrating AI across industries—from smart applications and infrastructure foundations to key technologies such as silicon photonics, quantum computing, and robotics—while also trying to bolster national security and sovereign AI capabilities and foster equitable economic growth. The Taiwanese government is investing substantially in this endeavor, as it is allocating billions of U.S. dollars in capital to support AI startups, enterprises, and research labs.

How is Taiwan’s AI strategy being implemented across government agencies and integrated into national development priorities? What are the implications of AI adoption for Taiwan’s economic and technological development? How are AI regulatory frameworks, ethical guidelines, and data governance standards, being designed in Taiwan to ensure that technological progress aligns with democratic values?

To address these pressing questions, the Sigur Center is convening a panel of experts and practitioners to unpack Taiwan’s current AI policy priorities, assess the opportunities and challenges in AI adoption across government agencies, and the effects of AI on democratic governance and public trust. Please note that doors will open no sooner than 15 minutes prior to the start of the program.

“AI Governance—Opportunities for Partnership between US and Taiwan,” Susan Aaronson, Research Professor and Director of the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub, The George Washington University

“Application and Limitations of AI in Taiwan: Research and Observations from the Taiwan E-Governance Research Center,” Hsin-Chung Liao, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Administration, National Chengchi University

“Strategy and Status on AI and Digital Government in Taiwan.” Cheng-Ming Wang, Director-General of the Department of Digital Government, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Taiwan

Speakers:

Dr. Susan Ariel Aaronson is Research Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University (GWU). Aaronson is also co-principal investigator with the NSF -NIST (National Science Foundation and (National Institute of Standards and Technology Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society, TRAILS, where she leads research on data and AI governance. Aaronson is also named one of GWU’s Public Interest Technology Scholars, where she works to encourage interdisciplinary research on technology in the public interest.

Aaronson is a Senior Fellow at the think tank CIGI in Canada and a Balsilie Scholar in Canada.

Susan is also director of the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub at GWU. The Hub was founded in 2019 and educates policy makers, the press and the public about data governance and data-driven change through conferences, webinars, study groups, primers and scholarly papers. It is the only organization in the world that maps the governance of public, proprietary and personal data at the domestic and international levels. The Hub is currently updating its metric to reflect the changes to data governance wrought by AI. The Hub’s research has been funded by foundations such as Ford and Minderoo. Susan currently directs projects on responsible AI; national security and the free flow of data; participatory AI; AI and trade and AI protectionism. Ahe regularly writes op-eds for Barron’s and Fortune, and was a commentator on economics for NPR’s Marketplace, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, and for NBC, CNN, the BBC and PBS.

Dr. Hsin Chung Liao is a Professor in the Department of Public Administration at National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taiwan. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Public Affairs from Cleveland State University in 2011 and is currently a Research Fellow at the Digital Governance Research Center of NCCU, as well as the vice executive director of the Transparency International Taiwan chapter.

His main research areas include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications, spatial analysis, integrity governance, and digital governance. In recent years, his research has focused on the impact of corruption control and digital governance.

Dr. Liao has served as a member of the Central Integrity Committee of the Executive Yuan, a review committee member for the Transparency Crystal Award, and as a research and evaluation as well as integrity committee member for the Taipei City Government. He has also served on integrity committees in various central and local government agencies.

His research has been published in Government Information Quarterly, Journal of Public Administration, Political Science Review, Taiwan Political Science Review, and Journal of Administration and Policy. His recent studies explore topics such as the impact of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) on corruption control, the effect of whistleblower protection mechanisms on corruption control, and the influence of AI
development on corruption control.

Mr. Wang Cheng-Ming currently serves as the Director General of the Department of Digital Government under the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA). Prior to joining MODA, he held positions across various public and private sector institutions, including the National Development Council (NDC), the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) under the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the Taiwan Business Bank (TBB).

Mr. Wang holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Yuan Ze University (YZU) and a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Management from the National University of Singapore (NUS). His expertise spans information management, algorithms, cybersecurity, project management, and public administration.

Throughout his career, he has overseen Taiwan’s fourth and fifth phases of e-Government (Digital Government) service implementation, as well as the review of central government ICT programs. He is currently responsible for advancing initiatives related to Smart Government development.