Mr. Hoang Nam Tien , artificial intelligence ( AI ) has become one of the key technologies of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 . There are many products and applications based on artificial intelligence technology that have changed society . As someone who has held many senior positions at FPT Technology Group , how clearly do you see that change ?
- Let me start with a story about myself. A few months ago, I went to a secondary school in Hanoi and presented to a hundred teachers and 9th grade students. In front of them, I used Chat GPT. All the homework related to Literature, Mathematics, Geography, even Civic Education... that teachers gave students to do at home, I did it in a few minutes.
Another example, university students send me their major assignments, related to marketing, management, finance, accounting... and we use the Chat GPT tool. Usually I will prioritize English, but typing in Vietnamese is also fine. All of those assignments, we only need no more than 10 minutes.
There is a big assignment to build a business plan to sell product A. I typed in Chat GPT and immediately a very complete SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the market appeared.
Then we moved on to the presentation using Midjourney. I recorded my voice, along with some beautiful pictures, and transferred them to D-ID ( AI video creation platform - PV ). The software immediately converted this data into a presentation video, with my image, lips moving, beautifully presented. It took 10 minutes… Of course, there are still many problems with information, but with the improvement of technology, the accuracy of the product will increase.
Let me tell you another example. I went to a university in Da Nang, in front of 100 lecturers, including about 20 lecturers from the Marketing department and hundreds of students, I asked the teachers to show me the school's marketing lesson plan, and pushed it up on the screen.
I typed on GPT Chat "give me a marketing curriculum, 180 minutes, for first-year students". The curriculum immediately appeared on the screen within 10 seconds. I typed more "I need more details on the plan to be implemented, more details on how to evaluate the marketing program, give me more details on the forms on costs, how to implement the project including time, who is responsible...".
I asked the teachers who had seen it directly to evaluate how Chat GPT's curriculum compared to their school's curriculum. The teachers said that there were at least a few new points that the school 's standard curriculum did not have, such as customer empathy, experience economy, the role of personalizing each customer ... Not only that, when I pushed the content to Canva (an online graphic design tool ) , converted it into a video or presentation slide, this tool produced impressive products.
Do you see anything?
Technology has hit the weak points of human beings: the ability to read, synthesize, and analyze, which no student, teacher, or scientist can do faster than a machine. So is our traditional way of learning, where the teacher lectures, the student listens, tries to understand, and tries to present again, still appropriate? The old way of learning is cramming, meaning the more students know and read, the better, is it meaningful?
The story you just told makes me think that the world is changing rapidly and if we do n't change the way we educate , we wo n't be able to keep up with the times ?
- It will be extremely challenging. The truth is that it is happening at a terrifyingly fast rate. So students, teachers, and lecturers must change. If in the past teachers and lecturers were ferrymen, today they must be mentors, coaches, etc.
According to you , what are the challenges for educators in the coming time ?
- Jack Ma said it very well: " Should we try to remember more information ? No , because it is no longer necessary . Let 's try to learn what requires us to be creative . "
So, education cannot be a "foundry". In the past, our generation of students were teachers who lectured and students who listened. Those who majored in Math like us often tried to solve problems differently from the teacher's way, but that number was not much. There were many generations like that.
But I think Generation Z is a victim of "factory-made" education. To ensure the quality of education, there are model essays, model maths, model literatures... Students just memorize them like that. That makes 50 students in a class speak exactly the same, 300 students in the same grade in a school speak the same. Millions of students of the same age across the country answer the same question exactly the same. That's what I'm very worried about for Generation Z, followed by Gen Alpha.
But when AI is born and develops, if viewed as an opportunity, we will need to innovate the way teachers teach and think a lot. When general information is processed by technology, the role of teachers in imparting knowledge is no longer important. At that time, teachers can personalize teaching for each student, guiding students to have the ability to debate, think creatively... with the support tool of AI.
Imagine what an AI classroom would look like? Every teacher, every lecturer now has to accept a global competition . For example, a lesson for marketing students, they can immediately go to Coursera ( Platform of courses and certificates ) online - PV) , register for the world's top marketing classes, from the world's top universities. The lecturers are specialized book writers with extremely good lectures and extremely standard subtitles.
Learning on Coursera is even better, the machine stops every 3 minutes to listen, and asks questions every few minutes. There will be a test throughout the session to see if you pass the subject immediately. And 40 students, not hundreds, or thousands, the AI will give different results for each student. Can any teacher do that?
So from a personal perspective , do you think that the advent of AI is an advantage for any teacher or lecturer if they know how to use it ?
- Exactly. They have to make all AI tools their means. Bill Gates recently said: Let's turn all existing and future AI tools into our Agents. I think it should be translated as "our servants". Let's make those technologies not threaten us but become our servants, our "servants". Lectures from the most famous people in the world must be our educational tools.
For example, teachers and lecturers should assign students to take this course on Coursera, watch the material on this video, read this material, buy this book and read the summary on Chat GPT. Then present your point of view on what needs to be done. Instead of being afraid, teachers and lecturers will master and conquer technology.
So the concept of " teacher " has also changed a lot in modern times . And a person - maybe just recently switched to education like you - will not see it as a challenge , when the previous generations of educators were scientists , famous professors ?
- Now is the era of Big Data. Data and information are no longer a secret. The same topic can be obtained from many different data sources, the results can be compared, the contradictions can be found, the differences can be pointed out and one's own opinion can be expressed.
A young person today can communicate information effectively, understand many issues deeply because of the advantage of accessing data. Because with Chat GPT, we can gather thousands of documents on the same topic from any language. At this time, analyzing and synthesizing, making comments, and then comparing one's own views with existing views becomes extremely easy, and that creates new challenges for teachers.
In the past, our education system was based on one-way education: teachers lecture – students take notes. But I think that today's education includes 5 dimensions:
One is, "Without a teacher, you can't do anything", that is always very true. But today's teacher is different from the teacher of the past. Today's teacher can be your boss. He is very good at his field of expertise, he has many years of experience, has many "blood and bone" experiences... No one can replace that.
So learn from your boss, learn from the Gurus - I like to call it learning from the best people in the world. So in any field, I always look for the best teachers in the world in that field, from the writers, or who is in the top 10 in the world. I will find every way to meet them, spend a few hours with them to learn. It is extremely valuable.
Second, "Learning from a teacher is not as good as learning from friends." Let's learn from our friends in each field.
Third, "A son who is better than his father is a blessing to the family." Learn from younger people. Young people today have so many things they don't know. This is different from the old view that being older means knowing more. My latest teacher was only 22 years old, teaching me about using AI.
The fourth is self-learning (self leaning) - that is obvious. Now we must add one more thing: self-coaching. Because everyone knows that learning does not lead to success, only doing leads to the hope of success.
Fifth is learning with AI. Now AI has become a great teacher for everyone. Any information needed is available immediately. Of course, along with that knowledge are experiences, emotions, blood and sweat that AI does not have.
So what educators today need to do is go to school, including professors, in any field. If you still bring old books and knowledge, children will not listen.
According to you , how should students today change the way they learn ?
- The way of learning used to be that all students knew as much as possible, read as much as possible. I will give an example from myself. I was a student at a prestigious university in the world. One evening I was assigned to read 5 books for a presentation the next day and reading continuously, taking notes and then building a lecture in one evening was unthinkable.
For a normal person, the ability to read a book at an average speed of 300 words/minute. I read at a speed of over 900 words/minute, which is quite fast compared to many people. But in the near future, my speed reading is meaningless. Any book I want, just type Chat GPT: give me a 1500-word summary (about 5 pages-PV) , or give me more details about a certain topic, more details about a certain chapter". And wow, the summary appears within 10 seconds. So Chat GPT's reading ability is extremely fast.
Not only that, technology will make even more great strides in the near future. Last June, American tech billionaire Elon Musk was granted permission by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implant a chip in the human brain. If so, all knowledge will be automatically memorized, all learning in the past 12 years will be quickly stored and will not be far away.
Neuralink is leading the way, followed by Google, Apple, and Meta... And brain chip implantation will be a reality by 2025. So we will soon have a generation where people will not praise this person for being so rich, this person is a tycoon, but rather that this person has "implanted a chip".
Things like what you just said , will make everything that was previously considered extremely difficult suddenly become much simpler ?
- We often call ourselves "stubborn" - that is, obedient and trying, victims of the "foundry". The old days are over. Today, you must equip yourself with independent thinking and critical thinking skills. In the past, the most important thing for schools was to equip knowledge, but today, it is to equip yourself with the ability to self-study and self-research and develop. In the past, how to be a good child, a good student, a useful person for society, but today, in addition to those things, you must truly become global citizens to fulfill Uncle Ho's wish of "standing shoulder to shoulder with the world powers".
What does Vietnamese education need to do to adapt to this rapid change ?
- I think any country or individual that does not change to keep up with the rapid development of AI will fall behind. You can watch the development of artificial intelligence in your own children and grandchildren through the issues they care about, it is really outstanding.
So we must be really aware that the development within the next year for 12th graders and the next 3 years for 10th graders; 7 years for secondary school students, 12 years for primary school students, what does society really need from such people at that time?
They must truly become global citizens, meaning that the most important qualities and skills of global citizens that the future requires, education must meet that. Now we have to change, that is, educating students to be able to self-study and self-research. Because all the knowledge now, when we study, before graduating, is already outdated.
The second thing is to have qualities, skills, creative thinking, independent thinking, and critical thinking ability. If students are not equipped with the qualities and skills that the future requires, they will give up because they cannot meet the requirements of the new era, and even be exploited by bad guys with AI tools and applications.
You are a person who travels a lot , studied at a prestigious university in the world , worked with many partners all over the world , do you see any difference between Vietnamese youth , from rural to urban with the youth in the world ? You see the young generation What is lacking in Vietnam ?
- We always say that nowadays, children are indifferent, aimless, and purposeless. It is because adults talk too mechanically, dogmatically, and old-fashionedly, even about things that the whole world has abandoned, so the younger generation does not listen.
More and more I see that Vietnamese youth are no different from the global youth. In fact, they understand many issues very deeply.
How to educate the " Generation " Z " ? They were born in the era of information technology and digital explosion . They work in groups and have a very high sense of community , access to digital technology very quickly , and their views on life , the way they dress , earn money , and spend money are also different . In your opinion , what is the secret ?
- Let me give you an example. At FPT Corporation, we have raised the issue that Gen Z is very different from previous generations. About 48% of FPT employees are Gen Z, so how can we change and have a training program that is suitable for our business? I always say that we have to change ourselves to suit Gen Z.
With Generation Z, we should not try to teach them. Parents should set an example. Never say that children must be like this when they go out, that they must treat people like this, that they must be like this when they meet the elderly... For example, when parents have guests, do they greet them, shake hands, see them off when they leave, do they read books...? If they don't do it, why do children do it?
I feel sorry that many children today do not dare to go out, because their parents have taken them to school since they were young. That is a huge disadvantage in preparing them for their future lives. If we keep protecting them, how can they be independent and develop in such an environment?
So, children must have social experiences, right from the youngest age. Every time parents go to charity or go on a trip, they must bring their children along, don't think they are weak, don't think children don't have emotions. And learning is very important, learning from the environment, that is also a way to train intelligence, mental strength, and physical strength.
Gen Z is very different. If the previous generation saw something broken, they would try to fix it, but Gen Z sees something broken and throws it away. So Gen Z gives up very easily. But I always advise the kids: It's okay to change careers, but leave with honor, never let your boss scold you, never let you be judged poorly, never let you be bullied, but just quit your job.
I 'm curious how the position of Vice President of FPT University Council attracts you and how long it will attract you ?
- Ever since I was working at FPT, I have always taught. I became a lecturer at the FSB Institute of Management & Technology in 2016 when I was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of FPT Software. Teaching is truly my passion. Second is family tradition. My father was a warrior, whenever he put down his gun, he picked up chalk. So the family tradition has been ingrained in me.
Do you consider yourself a different person ?
- I am an ordinary person like many ordinary people: One person does business, one person does software, one person does telecommunications, one person does real estate business, one person does education. None of them are special. The difference is that I allow myself to experience many ordinary people. Not everything I do is successful. I remember I did 10 things, only about 4-5 were successful. The remaining 4-5 things had differences, some were not successful.
Would you rather be called an educator or a businessman ? Which job is more interesting to you ?
- I have long requested that I no longer be introduced as a businessman. My nickname is now "Giao Tien". All my jobs have one thing in common, which is working with many outstanding, passionate, bold and innovative individuals. Therefore, I always find my work interesting and proactively create that interest in each position I work. If the job is not interesting to me, I quit immediately.
As a person with many bold ideas , how will you help FPT Education Organization develop in the future ? What will you do differently to help FPT University in particular , and Vietnamese education in general ?
- I really want to make a small contribution to the change in this education system. Because I am very aware that I am a mature generation, my education is not bad, and I can work in the future thanks to my previous education system, so I do not deny my previous education system.
Around me, talented people like Mr. Truong Gia Binh, Mr. Bui Quang Ngoc, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam... all grew up from previous education systems, but they are all the same, all trying to overcome. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew said that the change of a country must start from the change of education. Why?
If you go to Japan to study, you will know that since the Meiji period, young people have enjoyed an education and training system with a vision of 30 to 50 years. When we realize that our education system is one-sided, that it is a "factory that produces 1 million people each year, that the influence of Literature and Math Models is terrible, then we will change. Of course, people say that "Rome was not built in a day". Each person will change, change little by little.
I am very aware that educating the mind, intellect, and physical strength is equally important, and one is not more important than the other. One of the very small changes we are making is to incorporate martial arts education into physical education classes. Instead of studying physical education, FPT students learn Vietnamese martial arts (Vovinam) to learn morality, train their physical strength, protect themselves, and protect those around them.
FPT University has also decided that all graduating students must know how to play a traditional musical instrument, such as the monochord, flute, two-stringed fiddle, drum... That subject is evaluated on par with Math, on par with all specialized subjects, and without it, they will not be able to graduate.
Learning music is not just for fun . We always have a saying: " FPT students go out into the world with the sound of the monochord in their hearts". In each student when going out into the world, we hope "there must be something Vietnamese".
So each of us will have a little contribution. For example, I will guide 1,000, then 10,000 young people to go to Europe, America, Japan... to work. They will work with big companies like Boeing, Airbus, Sony, Toyota...
In your opinion , what can we expect from the young generation of Vietnam in the coming time ?
- The younger generation will make a difference and make a difference. I have great faith in that. They live in an open, globally competitive environment, and therefore will have abilities far superior to the previous generation.
I hope to contribute my capacity to that change, maybe a lecture, a book... hopefully useful for you in the next 5-7 years.
Thank you for coming chat !
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