TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DigiAsia Taipei opened at Grand Hyatt Taipei this week, attracting marketing professionals and organizations from around Asia.

Endorsed by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) and spearheaded by the Taipei Association of Advertising Agencies (TAAA), this year’s theme is “AI4U.” The four-day event starting Monday (Sept. 2) is now in its sixth year and features over 20 keynote speeches. There will also be four site visits, including to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

Taiwan News sat down with AFAA Chair Srinivasan Swamy and AFAA Director of Strategy Ramesh Narayan to discuss the association’s role in Taiwan and marketing trends on Wednesday (Sept. 4).

Swamy explained that AFAA is an association of associations. It tries to understand new trends in the field and lobby on behalf of its members, he said.

Regarding Taiwan’s importance to AFAA, Swamy said Taiwan was a founding member, with the first AdAsia held in 2001 in Taipei. He praised Taiwan’s strong legal system and said it was suitable to lead DigiAsia.

Narayan echoed Swamy’s remarks, saying Taiwanese are enthusiastic and hardworking. “Taiwan has been a good friend after all these years,” he said.

Speaking about AI, Swamy said Taiwan was “a kind of digital capital of the world” and a leader in AI. He praised Taiwan’s marketing talent and understanding of digital concepts.

Looking forward, Narayan said he would like to see Taiwan implement ethical practices for AI in the education system and emphasize personal privacy and authentication for AI-generated content.