Speaking to students at Hanoi Law University on December 16, 2025, during the conference on “Artificial Intelligence Society” and the launch of the book “Artificial Intelligence Society: 30 years of Vietnam–U.S. partnership, from Nha Trang to Boston, 1995–2025,” Nguyen Anh Tuan-Chairman of the Boston Global Forum-delivered a speech unlike the usual tech-heavy inspiration talks.

Instead, he spoke slowly and thoughtfully, focusing on the Artificial Intelligence World Society (AIWS) model-a vision for a new kind of society that deeply integrates artificial intelligence in service of humanity, while ensuring AI remains ethically governed and aligned with human values.

He reviewed AIWS’s 8-year journey, highlighting its milestones at global events: the G7 Summits (2018, 2019), the Club de Madrid leaders’ forums (2019–2021), collaborations with the United Nations (2019, 2021, 2022, 2025), the G20 Summit in India (2023), the White House Office of Science and Technology (2024), the AI Action Summit in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron (February 2025), and dialogues with Japanese leaders (2023–2025).

According to Tuan, AIWS offers a path for humanity to grow more ethical, creative, and compassionate in the face of AI disruption.

Thinking beyond limits

Throughout his dialogue with students, Nguyen Anh Tuan repeatedly touched on what he considers Vietnam’s biggest obstacle: self-limiting thinking.

Too many people, including youth, accept that Vietnam is forever a latecomer. So their goals remain modest-catching up, following, imitating-rather than leading or co-creating with the world’s most advanced societies.

This, he said, is the real barrier. Once a nation accepts its lower status, it resigns itself to being a buyer and user of other people’s ideas and technologies, rather than setting the questions, creating standards, or shaping a new society.

“The problem is not a lack of technology,” said Tuan, “but whether we dare to ask big questions.”

Without bold questions that resonate at a global scale, there can be no large-scale thinking. And without such thinking, even the most advanced technologies we import will only turn us into consumers-not creators-in the AI age.

Tuan was pleased to share the positive reactions of global AI strategists to the aspirations and vision expressed by General Secretary To Lam during a high-level roundtable in London on October 28, 2025. Speaking to experts from the UK, U.S., and beyond, To Lam affirmed that Vietnam is open and ready to welcome, test, and implement pioneering and disruptive ideas to generate new models, new values, and renewed hope for humanity in the AI era.

AI cannot replace ethical responsibility

In a recent interview with VietNamNet, Nguyen Anh Tuan emphasized that artificial intelligence must grow alongside human conscience.

Technology without ethics or social responsibility is dangerous-not because it is evil, but because it is cold and ruthlessly efficient, unaware of when to stop or whom it might harm.

AI may analyze faster and recommend more precisely than any human, but it is not accountable for its decisions. That responsibility remains with humans-the designers, operators, and users of the technology.

According to Tuan, any society that delegates decision-making to algorithms while retreating from ethical responsibility will inevitably pay the price. The central question of the AI era is not how powerful technology can become, but whether humans have the courage to define its limits.

Law: The essential line of defense

These aren’t just ideas Tuan raises at international forums-they’re questions he brings directly into classrooms at Hanoi Law University.

There, AI is not merely framed as a tool but as a legal dilemma: Who is responsible when technology makes decisions in place of humans?

“No algorithm stands above the law,” said Tuan. If AI is to be used in governance, justice, or social resource allocation, then the first questions must be: Where is the control mechanism? Who holds ultimate responsibility? How are human rights protected when decisions are made by machines in the name of objectivity?

He stressed that law is not an obstacle to innovation, but rather a vital safeguard for human dignity in the AI era. The deeper a society integrates technology, the stronger its legal foundations must be.

Leading with wisdom and compassion

A central thread in Nguyen Anh Tuan’s vision is his definition of leadership in the AI era.

Leaders today cannot simply be tech-savvy-they must be morally courageous. They must know when to say no when technology crosses humane boundaries.

They must answer the questions: Whom does this technology serve? Who benefits? And who gets left behind?

These are not technical questions-they are value choices. Innovation that only pursues efficiency and short-term growth risks leaving behind deep societal consequences that may be irreversible.

Education beyond skills

Speaking to students, Tuan devoted special attention to education-not in the narrow sense of tech training, but in nurturing humanistic foundations and creative capacity.

Creativity does not grow out of ignorance. To be truly creative, one must understand history, culture, philosophy, and the human values that have shaped civilization.

AI can assist with tasks and speed, but ideas, emotions, aspirations, and conscience cannot be programmed.

Education that focuses solely on skills, while neglecting humanistic foundations, may produce excellent engineers-but ones who lack awareness of what they are doing and why.

Time will not wait

From his global experience, Nguyen Anh Tuan believes that Vietnam is standing before a valuable, albeit narrow, window of opportunity.

As foundational technologies rewrite global dynamics, even a one- or two-year delay can mean falling behind for good.

But seizing this opportunity is not just about capital, infrastructure, or imported tech. It hinges on mindset, institutions, intellectual capital, and the values that guide decision-making.

Technology cannot save a society that abandons ethical standards.

Speed vs. direction

The consistent message in all of Nguyen Anh Tuan’s remarks is clear: In the AI era, speed matters-but direction matters more.

Technology can take humanity far. But without conscience, it can also lead us astray.

For Vietnam, the challenge is not merely to catch up with technology, but to step into the future with dignity-innovating without losing humanity, growing without sacrificing human dignity or the natural world.

This is not just a story about technology. It is a story about choices-choices each generation must make and be accountable for.

Tu Giang