AmCham Taiwan launched its new AI Connect series on September 4 at The Executive Centre in Taipei 101, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries and driving innovation. The inaugural program, co-hosted with the Taipei Computer Association (TCA) and InnoVEX, illuminated the importance of collaboration between established multinationals, dynamic startups, and Taiwan’s wider tech community.
Opening the event, AmCham Taiwan President Carl Wegner described the initiative as a platform for companies to move beyond theory and into practical adoption of AI. “Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword,” he said. “It’s transforming industries, reshaping business models, and changing the way we live and work.”
Wegner added that the challenge is not simply to understand AI but to “find meaningful ways to apply it across all operations and strategies,” and stressed AmCham’s commitment to helping members build those connections.
Sakura Yang, deputy secretary-general of the TCA, followed with remarks on the technology ecosystem and described the association’s role as a “bridge-builder,” linking established companies with emerging startups and helping them expand internationally. She pointed to events co-hosted by the TCA, such as COMPUTEX Taipei and InnoVEX, as pivotal platforms for companies and innovators to connect and spotlight Taiwan’s breakthroughs to a global audience. At the same time, she stressed that Taiwan’s semiconductor leadership remains the backbone of innovation.
The program then shifted to four startup presentations. DeepRad.AI, represented by Chief Marketing Officer Ginn Shao, introduced its DeepLung-CAC medical imaging platform, which uses AI to detect lung cancer, coronary artery calcification, and osteoporosis from a single scan. “The system reduces the time radiologists spend reading images and provides reports that make it easier to explain findings to patients in real time,” she said.
Now in use at more than 25 hospitals, the technology has enabled mid-sized institutions to expand screening capacity severalfold and is being adapted for new applications such as cognitive health assessment.
Another startup from the healthcare space, EndoSemio, unveiled how it is “going to turn the invisible, visible” through miniaturized endoscopic imaging. Chief Marketing Officer Ruby Hung explained that nasopharyngeal carcinoma (a head and neck cancer) remains among the hardest to detect early and is disproportionately prevalent in Asia, where genetic and lifestyle factors play a role.
By combining narrow-band imaging with AI-powered real-time analysis, she said, hardware and software integration can transform clinical practice and improve survival outcomes for patients.
The showcase also featured KopherBit, represented by CEO Wang Yung-chen and Business Development Manager Pey Lu, which has developed an AUTOSAR-compliant ECU development platform for electric vehicles. The team emphasized how industries often face vendor lock-in and long, costly development cycles, noting that KopherBit’s universal controller platform could speed up adoption. As Lu put it, “We want to be the gateway of smart electric control.”
Morale AI presented next, highlighting its focus on industrial applications. CEO Phill Kao noted that manufacturers “don’t know how to use AI, but they know the data they need to analyze.” Morale AI is addressing that gap by developing domain-specific and industry-specific large language models.
The company’s agentic platform is already being tested in textile manufacturing, where it has delivered an “80% efficiency improvement” and “US$1 million in annual savings” for one client. Kao added that close collaboration with Nvidia is enabling Morale AI to expand its global reach.
The investor perspective was delivered by Chris Cottorone, president of TriOrient Investments and co-chair of AmCham’s Private Equity Committee, who spoke candidly about market expectations.
“The stock market is driven by two emotions: fear and greed,” he remarked, urging startups to be transparent with investors by sharing challenges as openly as successes. He also noted that while many Taiwanese firms are already showing excellent results in sales and product efficacy, companies need to demonstrate how they fit into global trends and anticipate risks. “Most companies in Taiwan are very market-ready,” he said. “They just need to point out market threats.”
Closing the program, Jeff Hu, CEO of Turing Space, reflected on the contrasts that shaped his entrepreneurial journey. “Working in a large corporation, everything you need to make a decision takes time,” he said. “Doing a startup is like you have an idea right now, then in the next second you can act immediately.”
That spirit of agility carried him from Silicon Valley to the founding of Turing Space, now a global platform for digital trust and credentials that works with international bodies such as UNESCO and the World Health Organization Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a sign that Taiwan’s AI and blockchain startups are not only innovating at home but also advancing sustainability and transparency worldwide.
AI Connect’s debut forum highlighted the diversity and vitality of Taiwan’s AI ecosystem, reflecting both the breadth of ideas and the depth of expertise on display. By convening voices from across the spectrum, AmCham Taiwan and the TCA platformed the kind of innovation, collaboration, and trust that will drive growth in an era of rapid technological change. The series also reaffirmed AmCham’s role in advocating policy reform and facilitating meaningful partnerships that help shape Taiwan’s future in the global AI economy.
