Many businesses are set to benefit or see growth opportunities from the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which is gaining ground in Thailand, while some may be affected by AI and may have to adjust before AI disrupts their business. Bangkok Post explores how AI is impacting the business landscape.
AI juggernaut gathers pace
Suchit Leesa-nguansuk
Many businesses are expected to benefit or see growth opportunities from the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which is gaining ground in Thailand.
Enterprises will benefit from embracing AI to carry out their digital transformation.
Somchai Sittichaisrichart, managing director of SET-listed SiS Distribution Plc, said businesses that will benefit from AI adoption range from technology companies, including hardware manufacturers, software companies that support AI, as well as consultants, implementers and distributors.
Enterprises will also benefit from embracing AI to carry out their digital transformation, one of the key factors driving new investment in technology.
Startups will see positive impacts if they integrate AI into their products and services, especially with AI-enabled applications.
Moreover, businesses related to building small language models and Thai large language models will gain momentum in the AI uptake era.
The providers of training and certification programmes will also see growth opportunities, with high demand for senior engineers who can verify the quality assurance of AI applications.
Studios which use AI technology to generate creative work and reduce the costs and time of traditional processes will also thrive.
Lastly, hybrid cloud solutions and data centres will see higher demand for their services in line with companies' increasing AI workload.
In some countries, the demand for cloud services jumped by 3-5 times after hyperscale data centres were established.
"If the government can ensure lower electricity costs, it will enable Bangkok-based data centres of global cloud providers to offer competitive pricing," said Mr Somchai.
According to the Digital Economy Promotion Agency's Thailand Digital Technology Foresight 2035 report, by 2030 Thailand's AI market value is expected to reach 114 billion baht.
AI tech gains traction at hospitals
Becoming key to driving efficiency, accuracy and accessibility in healthcare services globally
Lamonphet Apistinran and Suchit Leesa-nguansuk
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is becoming a more important part of treating patients as many hospitals have adopted medical AI in addition to the wider use of online healthcare services.
Privately-run Vimut Hospital benefits from AI-driven tech to offer more precise healthcare solutions.
AI technology is now central to driving efficiency, accuracy and accessibility in healthcare services worldwide, with applications ranging from predictive analytics and personalised medicine to advanced telemedicine platforms, said Suvanich Triamchanchoochai, deputy chief executive of privately-run Vimut Hospital.
This transformative technology is enabling more patient-centric care models.
"Thailand is making notable progress in this field," said Dr Suvanich, adding his hospital also jumped on the bandwagon by introducing "Inspectra" to patients.
Inspectra allows the hospital to assist physicians in analysing chest X-ray images. Utilising deep learning algorithms trained on over 1.5 million high-quality chest X-rays, it can detect common pulmonary abnormalities with an accuracy exceeding 94% including more than 100,000 chest X-ray results from Thai patients, he said.
Dr Suvanich believes Thailand has the potential to offer more technology-driven healthcare services to Thai and foreign patients.
The country is leveraging its strong medical tourism reputation and robust healthcare infrastructure to position itself as a regional leader in integrating AI into healthcare services.
The hospital will help the government strengthen healthcare services by further investing in new technologies and collaborating with industry leaders to embed AI into its operations to ensure round-the-clock patient care, said Dr Suvanich.
Other hospitals are also focusing more on digital technologies to enhance diagnosis and treatments.
Samitivej Hospital has joined hands with WHA Group, an industrial estate, logistics, utilities and power developer and operator, to offer healthcare services through the "WHAbit" digital application.
The app provides market information, pain points and other necessary data that can be used to design and enhance healthcare solutions and services that connect with the offline channel.
This includes telemedicine, health checkups, non-communicable disease clinics, pharmacies and data analytics.
WHAbit can facilitate virtual consultations with qualified doctors for prompt diagnoses, treatment and medication, according to Samitivej Hospital.
Fort Wachirawut Hospital, an army-run hospital based in Nakhon Si Thammarat, also developed the "FWH" application to serve as a connection between medical staff and patients.
This software provides users, including foreign soldiers joining joint military exercises with the army, with updates on hospital and healthcare information, which is crucial for facilitating medical services.
Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, which operates under the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University, is the first hospital in Southeast Asia to use agentic AI to automate laboratory orders and patient appointment.
The agentic AI combines generative AI and automation capabilities.
The hospital and IBM have successfully completed this pilot project which elevates patient services by offloading the burden of high-volume workload and shortening lab order process time by at least 30-40 minutes from the current 150 minutes.
"After piloting the use of IBM agentic AI for eight months, it helps foster the hospital's existing lab automation system and speeds up the lab service and reduces repetitive tasks and the workload of doctors and nurses," said Dr Bannakij Lojanapiwat, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University.
The hospital has 1.6 million outpatients per year.
Car industry struggles to scale autonomous heights
Lamonphet Apistinran
Thailand is making some progress in producing and selling autonomous vehicles domestically, but it is difficult for the country to reach the top levels of self-driving technology, says Wallop Chalermvongsavej, managing director of Hyundai Mobility Thailand, a subsidiary of South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group.
A model of a self-driving car turns while following traffic lines. The model was presented to the public at KMITL City Centre to showcase innovations produced by students at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. Whether autonomous vehicles become popular in Thailand will depend on various factors, including the public's response to the concept.
Autonomous vehicles utilise artificial intelligence to support various functions while driving, including detecting objects like other cars and pedestrians.
There are five levels of autonomous vehicle technology, ranging from zero to fifth level, based on the degree of driving automation. The zero level refers to cars with no automation systems, while the fifth level is the most advanced autonomous driving without human intervention.
Many high-tech cars sold in the Thai market are currently in the second level, meaning they have partial driving automation, said Mr Wallop.
These cars are equipped with the advanced driver assistance system, known as ADAS, which helps drivers better operate many functions, including steering, acceleration, deceleration and braking.
Drivers are still needed to control the level-2 autonomous cars.
"In my opinion, Thailand should reach only the third level in the next five years. Our infrastructure is not ready to go up to the fourth level," said Mr Wallop.
The third level features conditional driving automation, which enables vehicles to control many driving tasks in certain conditions like highways, while drivers can take their hands off the steering wheel in some conditions.
This is different from the fourth level in which drivers are not required when vehicles are driving within a specific operational design domain, or a defined geographical area with specific environmental and traffic conditions.
It is difficult to say which types of vehicles, including electric vehicles with automation functions, are most suitable for Thai buyers, said Mr Wallop.
It depends on drivers' lifestyles, where they use cars – urban or rural areas – and why they decide to buy a car in the first place, whether for travelling or working, he said.
Tech transformation in manufacturing likely to occur before AI adoption
Lamonphet Apisitniran and Suchit Leesa-ngunsak
Manufacturers who depend on a large number of workers are likely to change their production technology even before artificial intelligence (AI) disrupts their businesses, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Workers on a production line process crab meat for export and domestic consumption. Food factories rely heavily on intensive labour.
Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI, said he did not expect AI to cause significant changes to the manufacturing sector as is happening to companies in the internal combustion engine supply chain, which has been affected by the expansion of electric mobility technology.
But he expects factory operators to adopt more robotic and automation systems to replace labourers in order to deal with an increase in operating costs and better compete with their rivals, especially Chinese manufacturers who export low-cost products into the Thai market.
The influx of inexpensive products from China is affecting 30 industries, including steel and iron, car and auto parts, shoes, garments, and petrochemicals.
Many factories have shut down as they could not survive the competition, according to the FTI.
Local entrepreneurs utilising labour-intensive manufacturing in the food, shoe, steel and iron, and agricultural segments, are also worried about labour shortages and the government's policy to increase the daily minimum wage to 400 baht, Mr Kriengkrai said.
These issues are causing manufacturers to adapt their businesses to best fit the current situation.
"They are expected to make changes and we should see more smart factories in the future," said Mr Kriengkrai.
"This trend is in line with the government, which wants manufacturers to adopt more advanced technologies at work."
Authorities have been promoting the Industry 4.0 (the fourth industrial revolution) scheme, which encourages factory operators to blend digital technology with data analysis.
In 2021, only 2% of Thai industries were considered to be at the Industry 4.0 level by using advanced technology in their operations, according to the Industry Ministry.
Some 28% were in the Industry 3.0 phase, with less high technology, while 61% were in the Industry 2.0 phase, which focuses on productivity and considerable production capacity.
Only 9% were at the stage of Industry 1.0, the lowest level of technological development.
Somchai Sittichaisrichart, managing director of the SET-listed SiS Distribution, said certain businesses could be impacted by AI, such as professional translators, English teachers and call centres, as these roles could be replaced by natural voice AI assistants and AI instructors.