• Society

New KAS Country Director Ready to Work with Cambodia

• By Teng Yalirozy
• August 15, 2023 8:51 AM

PHNOM PENH – Jason Chumtong, the new country director of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Cambodia, sees his role as putting a focus on the political situation in Cambodia with an eye on support and cooperation between Cambodia and Germany.

The foundation, supported largely by German taxpayers,  promotes peace, liberal democracy and a social market economy in Germany and internationally.

KAS Cambodia, soon to celebrate 30 years in Cambodia, works on youth empowerment, the rule of law, media and journalism, sustainability, digitalization and international relations.

Chumtong, who has qualifications in politics, sociology, science and artificial intelligence, took on the job in June and will serve for five years. He said he is humbled to continue the work and cooperation between KAS and Cambodia since its establishment in 1994.

“It's hard to say for the next four to five years, but I can tell you that at least for the next six and seven months, so by the end of this year, we will strongly focus on the political situation,” he said.

“We're going to look at the power transition and try to understand and analyze what happens in this country.”

He said KAS wants to leverage this opportunity to help partnerships and engagements with German partners through dialogue and mutual understanding.

“We're going to have visitors over here in October, from KAS Germany, where we try to connect them to people here, meaning people from the government, but also people from the private sector so that both sides get a better understanding of their interests,” said Chumtong.

He said 2024 will be a huge year for the organization to highlight its accomplishments.

“I think we don't want to leave very soon,” he said. “We try another thing to keep a healthy relationship with Cambodians.”

Asked how he will reinforce the work with the young and driven team in Cambodia, Chumtong said he would have many things to learn from the team as they have been working and leading amazing projects for KAS.

“In this term, I don't have to tell them anything,” he said. “I have to learn from them. But of course, in terms of what I would like to do, and certain values I have in mind that we discuss in regular team meetings when we go through projects.”

KAS has been working to support Cambodian people in promoting conversations, creating networks, and upgrading scientific endeavors.

In this way, the foundation strives to foster an atmosphere that will support social and economic advancement. All initiatives are designed and carried out in close collaboration with Cambodian partners.

Jason Chumtong and young journalists trainees at KAS 2023. Photo: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia

Implementing AI to assist living

Jason Chumtong has a bachelor’s degree in politics and sociology from the Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn and a master’s degree in science from the University of Edinburgh where he had a final thesis on the "Science and Technology in Society" focused on the use of AI in autonomous driving.

He previously served as a policy advisor for artificial intelligence.

With his background in science and AI, Chumtong said his current role is more about leading the organization, but he could use his expertise and knowledge to help young Cambodians learn about AI and how they can value it in their work.

Having spent two months in Cambodia, he said he was “positively surprised” that the Cambodian people are not negative towards as they want to learn more about it while in Germany there is skepticism about AI or digital innovation.

“I think if you look at how Cambodians use digital technologies, especially communication, social media and the phones, they already know, what benefits AI can have. I think the next step is to get more detail,” said Chumtong. “And those are the things we have to explore.”

Cambodian people are getting interested in technology and the benefits of AI while the country is trying to promote and expand digitalization.

Asked if Cambodia can stay abreast of the two big techs the US and China, he said, “There has always been this question of competition. Is Germany able to compete with the US and China in terms of developing software and AI? And the answer was always very pessimistic. It was always a no.”

However, Chumtong said Cambodia is good at very different things and will get better if AI can be implemented into the sectors and industries. He was impressed by the digital food delivery service in which payment and shopping can be easier than in Germany.

Risks stemming from AI can be posed if people over-interpret the potential of AI. It is not magic, but understanding how it works is crucial, he said. To him, AI is software that can automate certain tasks and can improve on these tasks by itself.

“And very important to me, it's not about cutting human resources. It's not about replacing human resources. It's about making the task of humans easier so they can concentrate on improving on something else.”

Walk together with Cambodians

Chumtong said in his job, he is looking forward to getting involved and understanding how Cambodia is trying to grow regionally and internationally. He hopes to engage with the Cambodian people, especially young people, for a better future through KAS, given that the country and its people are striving for the better.

“I think we can see momentum now, especially if you're looking foreign affairs, but also if you look at the economic sector or economic fields. I think the new Cambodians who will have the possibility to decide on things, maybe political or economic, will make some smart decisions and improve the country's development,” he said.

“To be here and to witness life is something I've been looking forward to very much, and they're going to be part of the process.”