Addictive intelligence, assistive intelligence…Audrey intelligence? How social enterprise can shape the development of AI with Audrey Tang and James Gauci

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Audrey Tang was once responsible for Taiwan’s government sending text messages to 200,000 random phones in the country, as part of an effort to combat AI deepfakes. 

The texts asked citizens for input on how to curb the rise of deepfake scams on social media. The government then used AI to synthesise the ideas into an actionable policy, which was then successfully implemented.

For Tang – once a ‘civic hacker’ who became Taiwan's first minister of digital affairs, and is now its cyber ambassador-at-large – the move encapsulates her approach to AI: not slamming on the brakes on the technology’s development, not blindly hitting the accelerator, but rather finding ways to give communities control of the steering wheel. 

Whether it is truly possible to take control of AI, and to do so without harming society or the environment, are questions many social entrepreneurs are currently wrestling with. For James Gauci, founder of social enterprise AI consultancy Cadent, supporting organisations to use the technology ethically and effectively is day-to-day business. 

• Read more: James Gauci on why social entrepreneurs must lead the way through the AI moral maze

At Social Enterprise World Forum 2025, which took place in Taipei, Taiwan, Gauci and Tang explored these questions, and more, before Tang’s keynote speech which closed the event. From “techno-communitarianism” to “polarisation per minute” to “ancestral intelligence”, Gauci and Tang uncover ways AI can be developed and used while maintaining a commitment to serving people and planet. 

Tang summarised her philosophy on AI by sharing a prayer she also used to close her keynote speech: 

“When we see an internet of things, let’s make it an internet of beings. 
When we see virtual reality, let’s make it a shared reality. 
When we see machine learning, let’s make it collaborative learning. 
When we see user experience, let’s make it about human experience
And whenever we hear that the singularity is near, let’s always remember the plurality is here.”

Listen to the podcast to hear more about: 

• Why Tang set up Taiwan’s ministry of digital affairs in the government’s transport department 
• How Tang is working to develop an ‘ethics of care’ to train AI
• What role Tang argues social enterprise can play in developing community-first AI systems

This is the full recording of our interview with Audrey Tang which also features in our film The AI Dilemma: Can social enterprises innovate without compromising their values? Watch the film here. 

The AI Dilemma was produced in partnership with Cadent, with support from Social Enterprise World Forum.