Local businesses are looking to generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, mulling how to apply this technology to bolster their performance.
PROMISE FOR TOURISM
Nithee Seeprae, deputy governor for digital R&D at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said there's an opportunity with ChatGPT to incorporate tourism services by utilising its combination of search engine and chatbot technology.
He said TAT has already adopted chatbots for some services on Facebook, providing basic information to users.
With ChatGPT, it could provide more detailed responses, such as suggesting tour programmes or reviews of trips for users, said Mr Nithee.
However, he said ChatGPT might have to update data as it's just been launched. Some data might be inaccurate, which could possibly mislead tourists.
Mr Nithee said TAT will initially adopt ChatGPT for internal work this year to ascertain the efficiency of the AI program.
He said TAT plans to develop its own chatbot within five years, combining databases from tourism business operators, tourists and the agency in one place.
The organisation recently supported the Digital Economy Promotion Agency and travel technology site Travizgo in developing ThailandCONNEX, a platform offering business-to-business matching in the industry.
Kesavan Sivanandam, chief airport and customer experience officer at AirAsia, said ChatGPT is a promising technology that airlines should consider.
"Consumers want immediate responses rather than waiting for an online agent or for someone to call them back," said Mr Sivanandam.
He said this kind of AI technology can assist many customers at the same time within a short time frame.
AirAsia adopted AI technology to answer about 80% of guest queries on the spot, while more complex questions are handed to online agents, said Mr Sivanandam.
The carrier recently launched its new chatbot "Ask Bo" and is working on incorporating more natural language processing and machine learning, he said.
The chatbot can offer live updates on flights, allowing customers to change flights or request refunds, with six languages available.
In terms of ChatGPT's conversational capabilities, Mr Sivanandam said there is still room for improvement by training chatbots to accurately predict travellers' preferences based on personalised and historical data.
Together with chatbots, human agents are still required to provide the proper balance for great customer service, he said.
Businesses around the world are eager to make use of ChatGPT, as demonstrated by an illustration from Feb 3, 2023. REUTERS
COST REDUCTION
Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said ChatGPT, a new chatbot capable of answering questions, writing poetry and riffing on almost any topic, is likely to become one of the most important tools in making AI accessible and popular.
Many people are now using ChatGPT for various tasks such as data searches, gathering, filtering, and even content design with high accuracy, accelerating the growth of technology and digital businesses.
"In a competitive business environment, where speed and accuracy are crucial, ChatGPT could be highly beneficial in assisting businesses to use AI for data searching, analysis, decision-making, planning, marketing, sales and even analysing constantly changing customer demand. It could help to reduce costs incurred from managing operations efficiently," said Mr Sanan.
The Thai Chamber of Commerce, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Young Entrepreneur Chamber of Commerce have organised seminars to share the latest tech trends such as ChatGPT with business owners and students to increase their efficiency.
He said although technology can assist businesses in making quicker and more convenient decisions, businesses still need to adapt continuously, especially in searching and gathering information from various sources to help make those decisions.
Pawat Ruangdejworachai, chief executive of creative agency Media Intelligence, said ChatGPT and other generative AI solutions could help marketers with media planning and content creation, which could eventually replace human marketers in the future.
AI can standardise media planning effectively, unlike humans who have different levels of media planning depending on experience and skill with content creation, said Mr Pawat.
NOT REPLACING HUMANS
Saruj Thipsena, deputy managing director for enterprise solutions at Microsoft Thailand, said generative AI offers new possibilities for businesses to accelerate or automate their work -- from writing draft articles and responding to customer inquiries to creating early concept art and coding the basics of their applications.
This new generation of AI is better than ever at understanding context, but it will not replace humans, he said. Mr Saruj said he believes its role is in augmenting human capabilities so that humans can focus on more complex tasks, while AI will automate the basic tasks.
"At Microsoft, we believe AI empowers us to do more with less -- a goal extensively outlined by chief executive Satya Nadella. However, we can only achieve this by ensuring AI is trustworthy and is developed for everyone's benefit," he said.
"Microsoft is driving the development of responsible AI, and we see this as a process where everyone including users is accountable. All stakeholders, from developers and service providers to end users, need to work together to ensure AI can fulfil our requests in a fair, reliable, secure and inclusive manner under human supervision.
"We expect generative AI to change the way we work and create, leading to new skills and a novel concept of work."
Mr Saruj said a prime example is "Prompt and Edit" -- the skill to create the right prompts for AI and the know-how to edit or revise the AI's creation to match our goals.
"While generative AI is highly capable, it is not a replacement for real experts and their knowledge. AI can only be as good as the human using it," he said.
PRE-TRAINED MODEL
Generative AI is the new wave of AI and generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) language models, giving all AI and technology firms a much needed head start, said Touchapon Kraisingkorn, co-founder and chief technology officer of Amity, a Bangkok-based startup.
"We no longer need to train AI from the start, as the cost of training ChatGPT is estimated at US$5-12 million. We can use off-the-shelf pre-trained models," he said.
Amity is one of the first platform-as-a-service providers in Thailand to integrate the GPT-3 technology, which underlies ChatGPT, into its chatbot service.
Mr Touchapon said the technology should help increase the productivity of organisations and enable new possibilities for what technology can do at scale, opening a range of options for Thai tech firms and organisations that adopt the service to leap ahead, both in terms of customer-facing features and internal efficiency.
Axel Winter, chief digital officer for Siam Piwat Group, a luxury mall operator in Bangkok, said if people use ChatGPT hastily, engaging in simple dialogue or trying to trick the algorithm into providing a specific response, they may arrive at incorrect conclusions.
"ChatGPT can code, create intricate corporate strategy papers, generate spreadsheets and emails, and even personalise e-commerce products without prior preparation. It helps users concentrate on their goals rather than on research or formulation," Mr Winter said.
"However, achieving desired results with ChatGPT requires effort and setting the context. Additional tools such as application programming interface and a Discord chat channel to engage with creators and communities are also available. In general, it is essential to distinguish between information, which can be adjusted, and the ability to solve a task intelligently -- here, it sets new standards.
"This is one of the most significant changes we have seen in computing in a long time and creates a pivotal moment. It is a game changer and outperforms its competitors. Everyone is now rushing to compete and adapt to this new technology."
Charles Elwood, founder of SolisMatica, a pioneer in neural voice services, believes that large language models, conversational AI and generative AI, such as ChatGPT, can play key roles in augmented human learning and equalising access to education. For example, students can ask questions that they can't ask a professor because of time or language barriers.
In education, it may prove highly disruptive, giving equal access to education and the possibility of closing gaps in inequality, he said. In healthcare, it means improved access to medication, diagnosis and innovations in healthcare research from around the world.
Mr Elwood is an advisor and consultant for Microsoft Azure OpenAI Integration. He assists educational institutions with the transition in teaching by utilising AI.
"There are some limitations around its ethical use, maintaining data privacy and avoiding bias. One of the concerns is the unequal access to this technology, as well as misinterpretation of data or biased data and even incorrect data, such as data on medications and healthcare that can cause harm," he said.
Several businesses have already adopted chatbot service to provide basic information to users.
EASILY DISRUPTED
It is unclear how ChatGPT can be applied to factory work, but the manufacturing sector, which is still adjusting to using robots and automation, needs to keep abreast of AI and chatbot features, said the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI, did not discuss how ChatGPT may alter production processes or business marketing, but concurred AI is playing an important role in some industries.
"Car manufacturing makes full use of robots, AI and digital technology because AI can do some jobs more accurately than humans," he said.
ChatGPT, along with other smart digital tools, are examples of the exponential growth of digital technology manufacturers must monitor to adjust and improve, said Mr Kriengkrai.
Additional reporting by Lamonphet Apisitniran and Siriporn Sachamuneewongse