Ex-British PM Tony Blair joins Bangkok’s AI revolution

In a high-stakes meeting at Bangkok City Hall, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair sat down with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) could revolutionise public management. The duo’s discussions centred on one burning question: Can AI make Bangkok a more liveable city?

Blair, executive chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), shared his vision for the future, highlighting the urgent need for governments to embrace cutting-edge technology to improve efficiency.

“Technology isn’t just an option, it’s essential for tackling complex issues.”

The TBI’s reimagined state initiative aims to harness AI for modern governance, something he believes will be key in the next wave of public service transformation.

Chadchart, equally enthusiastic, laid out his tech-driven agenda. He explained how the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has already embraced innovation to fight corruption, ensure transparency, and improve education and public health.

The city’s Traffy Fondue platform, allows residents to report problems in real time, building trust between citizens and the local government.

The ex-UK prime minister and Chadchart’s conversation veered into the collaboration between the BMA and TBI, with both parties agreeing that technology, especially AI, will be pivotal in managing Bangkok’s development, air quality, and overall efficiency, reported The Nation.

In related news, Advanced Info Service (AIS) announced a partnership with Oracle Alloy to introduce Thailand’s first locally owned and operated hyperscale cloud infrastructure services. This significant collaboration aims to enhance the country’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, currently valued at around 100 billion baht.

In other news, Bangkok’s 50th food bank centre opened on Monday, September 9, in Saphan Sung district, marking a significant milestone for the Bangkok Food Bank initiative, which has already delivered over 2 million meals to those in need.

Chadchart led the inauguration at the Saphan Sung district office, fulfilling the project’s objective of establishing a food bank in each of Bangkok’s districts.