On October 28, 2025, at Raffles London Hotel, Vietnam made a historic debut on the global stage of intellectual discourse - not merely as a participant, but as a thought leader. For the first time, Vietnam entered the high-level dialogue on artificial intelligence (AI) as a nation with a humanistic vision and an ambitious aspiration to help shape a new society for the AI era.

Vietnam enters the global AI dialogue as a visionary contributor

In London, the birthplace of industrial revolutions that once reshaped humanity, General Secretary To Lam chaired a high-level roundtable with leading scholars and strategists from the United Kingdom and around the world. The discussion focused on "Building a new society in the age of artificial intelligence,” encompassing AI and semiconductors - two cornerstones of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This event not only laid the groundwork for new policy directions but also signaled the birth of a distinctly Vietnamese development philosophy: mastering technology through human values, and shaping the future with ethics and intellect.

From a nation that once fought for independence, Vietnam now steps into global dialogue with an intellectual perspective on the relationship between humans and AI - driven by a desire to contribute a new development model to humanity: one where technology serves humanity, not redefines it.

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General Secretary To Lam attends a roundtable with technology experts from the UK and around the world on AI and semiconductors. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

In his opening speech, General Secretary To Lam expressed his delight in meeting and listening to the thoughtful and practical insights of global experts in London, a global hub of technology and innovation.

As AI becomes a central force driving economic growth and innovation, Vietnam has identified science, technology, and digital transformation as strategic breakthroughs to achieve rapid, sustainable development and rise in the global value chain.

He sent a powerful message: "Vietnam welcomes and is ready to pilot pioneering and disruptive ideas from global scientists to create new models, new values, and new hope for humanity in the age of AI."

That moment in London was not just a diplomatic event - it was a philosophical turning point. Vietnam emerged not simply as a learner but as a co-creator of the development philosophy of the new era.

AI revolution: An opportunity for Vietnam’s era of prosperity

At the roundtable, Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF) and co-founder of the AI World Society (AIWS), announced a strategic cooperation initiative with Vietnam to realize the vision of “Building a new society in the AI era.”

The three pillars of this cooperation include:

An AI Government operating 24/7 with efficiency, empathy, and ethics

A digital asset economy grounded in transparency and moral values

A Humanistic Culture Innovation Park nurturing spiritual and cultural foundations in the AI era

Mark R. Kennedy, Director of the Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition at New York University, said Vietnam is pioneering a "governance innovation revolution." He called this a pivotal moment in Vietnam’s modernization - toward building a smart, empathetic state that puts citizens and businesses at the center.

Professor Alex “Sandy” Pentland - renowned data scientist from MIT and Stanford, known as the “father of social data science” - suggested that Vietnam has the potential to build a practical, compact, and humane AI government. Instead of copying models from the U.S. or China, Vietnam can base its approach on open data infrastructure and the real needs of its people.

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Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF), speaks at the roundtable.

He introduced two initiatives ready for collaboration with Vietnam:

Deliberation.io: A platform for civic dialogue allowing citizens to voice expectations about AI in governance

Loyal Agents: An open-source, free project that offers every citizen a “personal digital assistant” to support their daily life

Professor Pentland emphasized: “Technology is only valuable when it makes people freer, smarter, and better served.”

Impressed by the depth and sincerity of the ideas, General Secretary To Lam expressed his appreciation: "I highly value the Boston Global Forum’s initiatives such as the 24/7 AI Government, value standards for digital assets, AI-era cultural models, and solutions to mobilize high-level human resources. These ideas are very useful to Vietnam, especially as we’ve recently restructured our entire political system to be more streamlined, efficient, and better serve the people and the economy."

In his concluding remarks, the General Secretary outlined three strategic directions Vietnam wishes to pursue in collaboration with experts and the international community:

First, to share knowledge and experience in national AI strategy development, digital infrastructure, and innovation ecosystems.

Second, to promote investment, technology transfer, and AI applications in key sectors like healthcare, smart agriculture, and digital education.

Third, to jointly implement priority science and technology programs - especially in pioneering fields - to build a creative and self-reliant economy.

He also shared Vietnam’s long-term commitment: “Today marks only the beginning. I hope in the future, experts will continue to support Vietnam in developing AI and science and technology more broadly.”

“I warmly invite you to visit Vietnam. There, we’ll have more time to exchange ideas, and you’ll be able to work directly with our agencies developing science and technology policies. I hope the brilliant ideas we’ve discussed today will soon become reality - delivering new models, new values, and new hope to humanity in the age of AI.”

The General Secretary thanked the Boston Global Forum for organizing such a meaningful roundtable and welcomed its commitment to global cooperation with Vietnam in cultivating high ideals for the AI era.

From London - the cradle of Enlightenment thought - Vietnam expressed its global ambition: to join the AI era not just with technology, but with vision, values, and ethics.

“Vietnam aspires to work alongside advanced nations to share visions and common values - building a better world where AI serves humanity, empowers intelligence, fosters creativity, enhances compassion, and promotes peace and prosperity,” concluded General Secretary To Lam.

The roundtable brought together some of the world’s most influential figures in technology and global policy: Mark R. Kennedy (New York University), Professor Alex Pentland (MIT and Stanford), Liam Maxwell (Director of Government Transformation, Amazon Web Services), Lord Liam Booth Smith, Lord Francis Maude (former UK Minister for Reform), Dr. Marc Warner (CEO & Co-founder of Faculty AI, expert in quantum computing), along with scholars, creators, and tech leaders from the U.S., UK, Japan, and across Europe.

Lan Anh