Google kicks off Intelligent Taiwan initiative

Google has started the Intelligent Taiwan initiative to help promote digital transformation of the country's economy and strengthen AI (artificial intelligence) capability of its companies, according to Google's Taiwan managing director Chien Lee-feng. With Intelligent Taiwan, Google hopes to realize its "AI first" concept in Taiwan, Chien indicated, adding Taiwan meets all Google's requirements for developing AI, including those for software, hardware and cloud computing infrastructure. In the initiative, Google will expand its manpower in Taiwan by recruiting over 300 software/hardware engineers and R&D staff, provide digital marketing training for over 50,000 local small- to medium-size businesses and students, and train over 5,000 local students in AI programming in 2018, Chien said. According to Chien, for digital marketing training, Google will provide a free and convenient online platform and facilities in Taichung and Tainan to cater to those who prefer face-to-face training. For AI training for students, Google will first give in-depth instruction to university and senior high school teachers, and seed instructors with government-sponsored Institute for Information Industry (III) using Google-developed Machine Learning Crash Course.