CACCI was invited to be a co-organizer of the 2026 Asia Connect Forum to be held on March 17 by the Foundation for Commerce and Culture Interchange (FCCI) headed by Dr. Dennis Hu, Chairman of the CACCI Asian ICT Council, in conjunction with the Smart City Summit & Expo. CACCI President Mr. Peter McMullin AM gave his Welcome Remarks through a pre-recorded video. Director-General Dr. Darson Chiu was also one of those who delivered  Welcome Remarks during the Forum.

Focusing on the theme “Synergizing the Global AI-Robotics Towards Future Excellence”, which is considered one of the hot topics in global ICT development, the Forum gathered industry leaders, startup founders, and policy experts from across the Asia-Pacific region to explore innovation and collaboration in the age of digital convergence.

The forum highlighted startup ecosystem development, international partnerships, and market expansion opportunities. Esteemed speakers from Taiwan, France, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and India  shared insights on startup trends and cross-border collaboration opportunities network in the Asia-Pacific innovation ecosystem.

In his pre-recorded video Message, Mr. McMullin noted that Taiwan has long played a pivotal role in global technology development, particularly in advanced manufacturing and digital innovation, and it is therefore a fitting place to discuss the future of AI and robotics. He also stressed that the business community must focus on preparing for the future. For CACCI, this future rests on three important pillars, he said. I call them ‘Helping business get SET for the future’:

(a) The first is Artificial intelligence and robotics have enormous potential to help us accelerate the transition to a more environmentally sustainable world. From smarter energy systems to more efficient manufacturing and logistics, these technologies can help businesses reduce waste, improve productivity, and operate in ways that are both economically and environmentally sustainable.

(b) The second is Entrepreneurship. Across the region, young entrepreneurs are already embracing AI tools in their businesses and daily lives. They are experimenting, innovating, and building new models for the future economy. As a broader business community, we must learn from their agility and ensure we engage meaningfully with these technologies so that we can create durable solutions for global challenges.

(c) The third is The AI revolution is not only about technology; it is about people. It is about how societies, businesses, and communities adapt and transition together into a more inclusive and sustainable future. Technology will shape our industries, but human relationships will continue to shape our world.

Mr. McMullin remarked that through trade, commerce, and cooperation, businesses across cultures can act as ‘merchants of peace’, noting that when businesses trade together, collaborate together, and innovate together, they build understanding and reduce the likelihood of conflict. “As we explore the future of AI and robotics in this forum, let us remember that while technology may accelerate change, it is ultimately human connection, trust, and cooperation that will determine the success of our shared future,” he concluded.

In his Opening Remarks, CACCI Director-General Dr. Darson Chiu introduced CACCI, noting that the Confederation brings together chambers of commerce and business organizations from across 27 economies in the Asia-Pacific region. Its mission, he said,  is to promote regional trade, investment, and economic cooperation, while providing an important platform for dialogue between the business community and policymakers.

Dr. Chiu remarked that in today’s rapidly evolving digital economy, the work of the CACCI Asian ICT Council—under the excellent leadership of Dr. Dennis Hu—is particularly important in fostering collaboration and innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital technologies across the region.

Dr.  Chiu concluded that as CACCI continues to look ahead, it remains committed to supporting the future of business in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the transition toward a more innovative and inclusive digital economy.

The half-day session featured three keynote speakers, who shared their insights and perspectives on the following topics:

(1) Peter Hsieh, General Partner of Arm IoT Capital Partners spoke on the topic “Edge Applications Intelligence – AI Frontiers in Robotics”. Dr Hsieh identified three key trends and innovations in Robotics, namely:

• Embodied AI Foundations: The focus is on creating “brain” for robots that can understand and interact with the physical world.
• Humanoid Robotics: Robots that have cognition, decision making capabilities, cerebrum and cerebellum integration, full body motion in real time.
• Dexterity and Manipulation: Advancements in tactile sensing and AI enable robots to handle delicate or complex, non-standardized tasks.
• Autonomous Learning: Robots are capable of learning while acting.

(2) Oliver Tian, Vice President of Global Robot Cluste, Singapore talked about “Trending Highlights in Global AI-Robotics and Critical Steps Ahead.” Mr. Tian pointed out three transformative trends in Robotics.

• First, there is a need to go beyond pattern replication toward reciprocal enhancement. Policy guideline: Mandate “hybrid-by-design certification requiring human oversight at ethical/cultural decision points.
• Second, personal gains do not add up to organizational transformation. Policy guideline: Provide guidelines to support workflow redesign, not just technology procurement.
• Third, there is a need of an architecture for human-machine collaboration. Policy     guideline: Algorithmic impact assessments mandating explicit handoff protocols and competence boundaries for high-stakes deployments.

(3) G. J. Lee, Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) focused on “Envision Taiwan Innovation and Startups for Global Stage”. In his presentation, Dr. provided an overview of Taiwan’s startup ecosystem, discussed supporting policies and approaches, and shared some success stories. He elaborated his thoughts on what needs to be done going forward, namely:

• Embrace Ai-Powered Robotics: Drive autonomous technologies and innovative hardware models for future growth.
• Empower the Robotics Ecosystem: Optimize funding, resources, and testing grounds for a thriving deep-tech startup ecosystem.
• Co-create an Automated Future: Government and startups collaborate on cutting-edge robotics to solve real-world challenges.

The keynote speeches were followed by two sets of Panel Discussion;

(1) Panel One: Focusing on the theme “The Power of AI-Robotics Collaboration across Continents”, the panel discussants included the following:

• Jung-Hsien Chiang, Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Computer Science, National Cheng Kung University (Moderator)
• Peter Hsieh, General Partner, Arm IoT Capital Partners
• Suthat Krongchon, President, The Council of Scientific and Technological Associations of Thailand
• Oliver Tian, Vice President, Global Robot Cluster, Singapore
• RJ Bandola, Digital Innovation Lead, City Government of Naga

(2) Panel Two: The session discussed “The Opportunities for AI-robotics Investment” and featured the following speakers:

• Wei-Bin Lee, CEO of Hon Hai Research Institute
•  Pei-Wen Hsu, Deputy Lead, Service Robot Applications SIG of Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance
•  Wilson Khoo, Director and Headat AUMOVIO S.E. co-pace GmbH, Germany
•  Premjith Krishnan, CEO of Namastrend, India
•  Josh Hu, CEO of LAKI Robotics, USA