Taiwan’s economy is booming thanks to AI. Not everyone sees the benefits

Taipei, Taiwan – For Li, an engineer at Taiwanese computer giant ASUS, the AI ​​boom in Taiwan has made for an exciting time to work in technology.

Taiwan is a semiconductor powerhouse, producing about 90 percent of the most advanced chips used in leading AI models such as ChatGPT and Claude.

“I felt that Taiwan’s technology and computing industry is becoming more dynamic,” Li, who asked not to be identified by his real name, told Al Jazeera, pointing to events such as the upcoming Computex Tech and AI Expo, taking place from June 2-6.

Still, Li worries that the spoils of Taiwan’s AI gains won’t be evenly distributed.

“Most industries that have nothing to do with technology don’t seem to be feeling the benefits, so it doesn’t seem to be evenly distributed right now,” Li said, explaining that many of his former classmates who work outside of technology don’t seem to be doing so well.

“It is primarily the industries that are at the forefront of this technology wave…