President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Monday that AI is changing the world in the present tense, not the future, as the government rolls out new “Ten Major AI Infrastructure Projects” to cultivate 500,000 AI application talents by 2040 and bolster quantum technology, silicon photonics, and robotics for long-term competitiveness toward an innovative economy and smart nation.

Lai met with the award-winning teams from the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA Awards 2025), hailed as the Oscars of Asia-Pacific ICT. Taiwan hosted the event in December after a nine-year gap, and clinched 10 golds, 8 silvers, and 6 bronzes from 256 entries across 13 Indo-Pacific economies, breaking records. 

The president stressed that AI changing the world is not in the future tense, but in the present progressive. The initiative, proposed last year, invests NT$1.5 trillion (US$47.4 billion) to generate NT$15 trillion (US$474 billion) in value. Lai said the government also continues to develop quantum technology, silicon photonics, and robotics – three key technologies – to ensure Taiwan’s long-term competitiveness.

In the future, he added, the government will advance simultaneously from five major aspects: computing power, data, talent, marketing, and funding, to accelerate building a forward-looking and inclusive tech environment, further advancing toward an innovative economy and a smart nation's goals.

Lai emphasized AI’s value in solving problems and improving lives, vowing an open, vibrant, inclusive innovation ecosystem as an engine for SMEs. He urged youth contestants to be the leading force for a smart nation, promising government support for global ties and real-world impact.