Taiwan is to develop its own version of chat generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) to prevent an artificial intelligence (AI) system trained to offer biased information from China or authoritarian regimes from dominating the industry, Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said yesterday.
San Francisco-based OpenAI Laboratory has garnered 100 million users worldwide within two months of launching the chatbot. Chinese search engine Baidu Inc (百度) has announced that it is to launch a similar app in two months.
The council is budgeting NT$34.9 billion (US$1.15 billion) to set up eight major technology platforms: AI, semiconductor and quantum technology, space and satellite communications, cybersecurity, precision healthcare technology, net zero emissions technology, national defense technology, as well as the humanities and social sciences, Wu said.
Photo: Reuters
Most of the funding — NT$11.9 billion — would be used to develop net zero emissions technology, followed by NT$8.3 billion to develop semiconductor technology, he said.
ChatGPT communicates in English, while a similar system developed by Baidu is expected to communicate in simplified Chinese, Wu said, adding that as competition between democratic nations and authoritarian regimes intensifies, Taiwan, as democratic nation, could contribute by developing a system that communicates in traditional Chinese.
“ChatGPT generally uses public information to generate responses, but the system can be tweaked manually so that it can generate specific responses to certain questions,” he said. “Taiwan would create its own version of ChatGPT to avoid AI systems trained to provide biased information from dominating the industry.”
Photo: CNA
Taiwan can compete in AI by investing more in talent, Wu said, adding that it has never sought to surpass other nations in terms of funding research and development in any emerging technology.
Meanwhile, Wu said that Taiwan would continue training talent and bringing in overseas funding if it is necessary to maintain its leading position in the semiconductor industry, which is expected to be a core technology worldwide in the next 20 years.
“Through the training of talent in other countries, we hope it will draw talent and start-up companies to establish operational bases in Taiwan and join the industries in which Taiwan is a leader,” he said.
The council is to establish an information security technology research center to advance research of cybersecurity issues, Wu said.
The Taiwan Space Agency and the Industrial Technology Research Institute are to develop a low-orbit satellite system, he said.
“Scientists have completed the preliminary designs of the launch pads for two experimental satellites owned by the Taiwan Space Agency, with 80 percent of the components being made in Taiwan,” Wu said, adding that a more detailed design is to be delivered by the end of this year.
He also confirmed Taiwan-US science and technology collaboration meetings are to be held in May.
The meetings were scheduled to be held in November last year in Taiwan, but they were postponed due to the US midterm elections.
The US delegation that was scheduled to arrive in Taiwan last year included officials and representatives from the White House, the US Department of State, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the council said.
Members of the US delegation would exchange views and sign cooperation agreements on major issues with Taiwanese officials and scientists during the meetings, it said.
The National Science and Technology Council and the US National Science Foundation are to hold a technology cooperation annual meeting, it added.
The delegation would visit the Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan Space Agency, Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, National Center for High-Performance Computing and the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City in Tainan, the council said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old