On July 18th, 2024, at the KBTG Techtopia: A Blast From the Future held at Samyan Mitrtown, Bangkok, Thailand, the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) Thailand, KASIKORN Business-Technology Group (KBTG), and AI Ventures Management II Limited Liability Company (AI Fund) signed the groundbreaking “Developing and Applying Artificial Intelligence Technology to Reduce Educational Inequality” Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU). This MOU exemplifies the shared vision and joint commitment of the three organizations to leveraging the power of AI technology to improve educational quality, reduce disparities, and promote equity in Thailand. At the MOU signing ceremony, Dr. Kraiyos Patrawart, Managing Director of EEF Thailand; Mr. Ruangroj Poonpol, Group Chairman of KBTG; and Mr. Andrew Ng, Managing Member of AI Fund, delivered insightful remarks. They discussed their organizations’ latest contributions to their respective fields and how they would leverage their expertise and experience to make this partnership a reality.
The EEF Thailand’s signing the landmark MOU with the KBTG and AI Fund reflects its steadfast commitment to reducing educational inequality by empowering Thailand’s most disadvantaged groups. In 2023, Thailand saw 8.9 million children and youth aged 3-14 falling within the bottom 15% of the country, with 430,000 aged 6-14 completely off-the-grid. Compounding this issue is the stark quality disparity between rural and urban schools, with rural schools lagging two years behind their urban counterparts. This amounts to a 20-fold educational accessibility gap between low- and middle-income families and a mere 5% chance of continuing higher education for impoverished children. These disparities perpetuate the vicious cycle of generational poverty and hinder Thailand from breaking away from the middle-income trap. Addressing these disparities is crucial, as educational inequality costs Thailand up to 200 billion Thai Baht annually, undermining its UN SDG 2030 education goals. To counter these disparities, the EEF employs Equity-Based Budgeting to ensure fair resource distribution, targeting the specific needs of underprivileged and marginalized children and youth. Looking ahead, the EEF views the new MOU with the KBTG and AI Fund as a transformative catalyst for revolutionizing learning experiences, providing empathetic guidance, and addressing educational inequalities nationwide through AI technology tailored to student needs.
Mr. Ruangroj Poonpol, on the one hand, elaborated on the KBTG’s pivotal role in this strategic partnership, focusing on enhancing AI skills among Thai students. As the technology arm of KASIKORNBANK (KBank), whose expertise extends beyond digital transformation to rallying collaborations across various technological sectors for game-changing innovations, the KBTG plans to leverage Dr. Ng’s DeepLearning.AI courses to provide essential AI education for Thai students, as well as to harness AI to address access issues to educational resources among secondary education students. It aims to bridge these educational and technological gaps through collaboration with relevant ministries and organizations, ensuring all Thai students benefit from this critical knowledge. Discussions are set to continue with the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) to advance this initiative. With the recently signed MOU with the EEF and AI Fund, the KBTG is poised to transform Thailand’s educational landscape, bridging multifaceted divides and nurturing the next generation of innovators.
On the other hand, Dr. Andrew Ng, a prominent figure in global AI and one of Time100’s 2023 most influential people, detailed the AI Fund’s two-pronged approach to this transformative partnership. Drawing from its extensive technical insights into AI ecosystems, the AI Fund seeks to democratize access to AI technologies tailored to the unique needs of Thai students, building a strong knowledge foundation for them to excel academically and professionally. Meanwhile, beyond education, it envisions integrating AI across key industries to generate new job opportunities for these students. This dual approach ensures that students are well-prepared for future challenges while also contributing to Thailand’s economic growth and technological advancement. Looking ahead, the newly signed MOU with the EEF and KBTG positions the AI Fund to spearhead this impactful journey, shaping a future where AI fuels innovation and growth and bridges gaps in education and employment opportunities.
Dr. Andrew Ng — founder of DeepLearning.AI, co-founder of Coursera, CEO of Landing AI, a leader at Amazon.com, and an adjunct professor at Stanford University’s Computer Science department — brings a wealth of expertise to this initiative. His courses on Coursera, which have attracted nearly 8 million learners, range from “Generative AI for Everyone” to specialized lessons like “Machine Learning in Production,” underscoring his commitment to advancing AI education globally.
The partnership with the KBTG and AI Fund marks a pivotal advancement in the EEF’s agenda to reduce educational inequality in Thailand through artificial intelligence. The KBTG incorporates Dr. Andrew Ng’s DeepLearning.AI courses to equip Thai students with crucial AI skills and address gaps in educational access and resources, thereby enhancing learning opportunities nationwide. Concurrently, the AI Fund democratizes access to AI technologies while tailoring them to student needs, thereby accelerating innovation and equity in education. Through this synergy, the KBTG and AI Fund fortify the EEF’s commitment to bridging educational disparities and preparing Thai children and youth for a digitally-driven future.
The recent monumental signing of the MOU between the EEF, KBTG, and AI Fund signifies a transformative leap towards a technologically-advanced and inclusive educational environment in Thailand. By integrating cutting-edge AI into the educational framework, the partnership is poised to democratize access to educational resources, enhance learning experiences, drive systemic change, and pave the way for a digitally proficient generation. Not only does this initiative address educational disparities, but it also fosters economic growth and technological advancement while empowering Thai youth to break free from the chains of generational poverty. With this commitment, the EEF, KBTG, and AI Fund set a new benchmark for how technology can empower each and every Thai child, ensuring they are well-equipped with the skills and competencies necessary to thrive in the future — ringing true to the EEF’s founding principle: to reduce education inequality through research, collaboration, and support for children, youth, and adults in need.
Within the framework of the groundbreaking Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) on “Developing and Applying Artificial Intelligence Technology to Reduce Educational Inequality,” the EEF, AI Fund, and KLabs are committed to leveraging research-driven innovation and knowledge to foster a society that embraces and integrates AI technologies. Their shared goal is to drive the development and application of AI technology to enhance educational quality, reduce inequality, promote equity, and ultimately enhance the well-being of children, youth, and educational personnel across Thailand. To achieve these objectives, all parties will collaborate on specific projects outlined in the memorandum. They will also explore the incorporation of one or more entities through separate agreements negotiated over time.
