Thank you to our AI MC.

This is my first time being introduced by an AI host!

As you just witnessed, we are entering  - We Have entered - a new era - one shaped by artificial intelligence. The virtual MC you met today was powered by Heygen and Sora. It spoke in both English and Vietnamese. That alone shows us how fast things are changing - and what AI can already do.

It highlights the opportunities, and forces us to face some of the risks and challenge around labor replacement, privacy, and trust

Distinguished guests and colleagues, 

It is a pleasure and an honour to welcome you to the Viet Nam launch of the 2025 Human Development Report.

I warmly welcome our partners from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Innovation Center, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, research institutes, businesses, civil society, and UN agencies. And to all those joining in person and online—thank you.

Today’s event invites us to reflect on a defining question of our time:
Will artificial intelligence expand human freedom—or limit it?

The 2025 Human Development Report, makes one thing clear:

AI’s impact on human well-being is not pre-determined. It is not a matter of fate—but of policy, ethics, and collective action.

This report urges governments and societies to consciously shape AI—so that it serves people, not the other way around.

Here in Viet Nam, that challenge is real—and urgent.

The country’s digital transformation is accelerating. Its development vision is bold. And AI is now at the heart of national debates on Viet Nam’s future.

There is great promise. But also great risk.

In 2023, Viet Nam’s Human Development Index reached 0.766—a strong result. But when adjusted for inequality, the score drops to 0.641. That’s a 16% loss—due to gaps in education, health, and income.

This tells us: progress cannot be measured by averages alone. It must be measured by how fairly opportunity is shared. AI can help close these gaps—or it can make them worse.

Around the world, we see an AI equity gap emerging.
If left unchecked, it will deepen global divides. Viet Nam must act now to avoid falling into that gap.

And the opportunity is nothing short of historic.

Viet Nam is not just adopting new tools. It can become a builder of AI capabilities—on its own terms.

The country’s AI vision, in Decision 127 and Resolution 57, is ambitious. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s call to train 100,000 engineers is a bold move. His message—AI must be safe, ethical, and inclusive—sets the right tone.

At UNDP, we are proud to support this journey. Through our AI Landscape Assessment and ongoing policy work, we are partnering with government, businesses, academia, and civil society to turn vision into reality.

But as this report reminds us: harnessing AI is not just about technology. It’s about choices.

We must:

• Invest in education systems that prepare people for an AI future.
• Ensure access to quality, responsibly governed data.
• Build digital states that use AI to improve services and anticipate risks.
• Address AI’s environmental footprint—especially as large-scale models grow.
• Expand renewable energy to power AI sustainably.
• And put ethics and inclusion at the heart of AI governance.

Finally, the report reminds us that today’s global AI frameworks are dominated by voices from the Global North. Viet Nam can help shift this balance—regionally and globally—towards a development-focused, human-centered approach.

Colleagues,

AI is advancing at a speed we’ve never seen. But the real question is not how fast it moves.

It is: Who does it serve? Does it widen gaps—or close them? Does it advance human dignity—or diminish it?

This launch is more a moment to reflect. To imagine. And to act.

To ensure that AI becomes a force for equity, sustainability, and human progress—in Viet Nam, and in the world.

Thank you.