The event, held from 4–5 December at Crowne Plaza and co-organised by the Lao Journalists’ Association and the Applied Research Institute for Smart Technology under the Ministry of Technology and Communications (MOTC), is supported by the Australian Government as part of broader cooperation on digital transformation. 

“The more we rely on modern tools, the more cautious we must be, as these tools inevitably carry both advantages and risks, like a shadow that follows its object. I firmly believe that holding this workshop will be an important step toward pooling Lao language resources to build a high-quality database, thereby promoting the use of the Lao language in AI in line with our intended objectives and targets,” said Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee Propaganda and Training Board Sakhone Phommalath.

Opening the workshop, Australian Deputy Ambassador to Laos, Benita Sommerville, highlighted Australia’s strong partnership with Laos in promoting the safe, secure and responsible adoption of emerging technologies.

Sommerville said AI has the potential to enhance productivity, improve access to healthcare and education, strengthen climate and disaster resilience, and contribute to sustainable development. However, she stressed that responsible governance is essential.

“With transformation comes the need for AI literacy and robust governance,” she said. “We must ensure that AI supports innovation and productivity while mitigating risks to cybersecurity, privacy, diversity and national sovereignty, and countering online scams, misinformation, child exploitation and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.”

She noted that public trust is key to unlocking AI’s benefits and reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to helping bridge the AI digital divide in Southeast Asia. Australia, she added, will continue fostering inclusive dialogue to ensure regional perspectives are heard in global discussions on AI.

Sommerville underscored that this workshop builds on ongoing cooperation. Last year, during Laos’ ASEAN Chairmanship, Australia supported AI training for Lao media professionals, while in June this year Standards Australia conducted a Responsible AI workshop for more than 80 Lao government and business leaders.

Lao Journalists’ Association President Savankhone Razmountry, former Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, also delivered opening remarks, highlighting the growing importance of AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini and Copilot in Laos. While these technologies offer new efficiencies, he warned that reliance on unverified data and mixed language sources can lead to inaccuracies, particularly in journalism.

He said the workshop aims to bring together Lao linguists, writers, journalists, ICT professionals and AI developers from Laos and abroad to share methods for improving the quality of Lao language datasets—an essential foundation for strengthening Lao-language AI and ensuring its accuracy.

Razmountry thanked the Australian Embassy for supporting both funding and technical expertise, enabling the event to promote collaboration among language experts, researchers, universities and media institutions.

Participants from Thailand and Australia are also sharing insights on AI development and language data practices in their countries.

Sommerville concluded by encouraging participants to “engage, share and learn” over the two-day forum. “I am excited to see AI becoming a strong area of engagement between our two countries, working together to support Laos’ sustainable development,” she said.

The workshop marks another step forward in Laos’ efforts to build high-quality language resources that will allow Lao AI to grow in accuracy, inclusivity and global relevance.

KPL