Betting big on small AI

Thailand is exploring the potential of small artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to drive improvements across various sectors, aiming for significant gains in productivity, competitiveness, and economic growth. Small AI focuses on tailored applications that tackle specific challenges using less data, computing power, and resources than large, general-purpose systems.

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas revealed that the government will examine how to employ small AI to boost farmer productivity and living standards. Nantapong Chiralerspong, director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, emphasized the importance of small AI for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that cannot afford expensive large AI systems.

The Commerce Ministry seeks to encourage SMEs in agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing to adopt small AI tools for enhanced operations. Thai policymakers were influenced by discussions on AI at the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok, which highlighted the opportunities and challenges posed by AI, including concerns about job displacement and widening inequality.

The World Bank supports small AI as a means to address development gaps, as low-income countries have limited infrastructure and digital skills. To maximize benefits, enterprises should start with well-defined business problems, select affordable tools designed for local conditions, and measure success through key performance indicators such as processing time, defect rates, and energy use.

While the adoption of small AI presents challenges, including validating value, preparing data, and finding skilled personnel, Thailand's manufacturing, healthcare, and tourism sectors present promising opportunities due to their repetitive tasks and potential for measurable improvements.