Ep #58 with Huy Nguyen Trieu

Huy Nguyen Trieu is the author of the new book The AI-fication of Jobs. He is the co-founder along with Ms. Tram Anh Nguyen of the London-headquartered Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (or CFTE). As a global FinTech knowledge platform, CFTE opened its Abu Dhabi office earlier this year, in addition to its Singapore office.

A leading voice in the world of AI, Huy’s book is the product of 10 months of effort and debuted at the recent Singapore FinTech Festival in early-November 2024. It explores how AI is reshaping the workforce. It moves beyond the common question of “Will AI take my job?”

Huy shares with Regulatory Ramblings host Ajay Shamdasani how his book provides a structured framework for understanding AI's impact from displacement to augmentation and how such changes and trends can be leveraged for future success and insights. It is an accessible, future-focused guide and a must-read for anyone interested in AI’s role in shaping careers, industries, and society.

As Huy puts it: “AI is a complex, personal topic – 85 percent of workers believe it will significantly impact their jobs. But understanding what that means is often confusing.”

Huy goes on to describe his professional background, being an engineer by training and an entrepreneur by nature. As a "big picture" person, he’s interested in the revolution in technology that is transforming finance – what he calls Disruptive Finance.

His passion, he says, is for building and growing businesses – especially in changing environments. It led him from being a tech CEO in New York to being managing director at an investment bank in London to being a founding partner at a Hong Kong-based accelerator in Hong Kong and now, as co-founder of the CFTE.
Having previously, been a managing director at Citi, Huy grew a business that helped Europe's largest insurance companies, major pension funds and international banks to adapt to an increasingly complex environment.

He also adores teaching at scale, having co-created some of the largest FinTech courses in the world at Oxford University’s Said Business School, the University of Hong Kong University, Imperial College and now CFTE.

As CEO of The Disruptive Group, he’s developing a firm that builds innovative finance businesses which leverage technology and advises CEOs of large organizations. One of TDG's projects is the CFTE – and it is one that is dear to Huy’s heart, as he explains the impetus for the body’s creation.

“CFTE is the answer to a very simple question: as a professional in financial services, how do I acquire the skills to be future-proof?” Huy says. “We have created a platform that helps the industry acquire this knowledge quickly, from FinTech to artificial intelligence to open banking,” he concluded.

A key observation of the book is that AI and its massive impact on careers portends a shift that will give rise to a class of “supercharged professionals” – those who combine their skills with tech to thrive like never before. And then there are the “creative disruptors”; a select few poised to build entirely new industries from scratch. Huy urges us all to embrace this future, not just for ourselves, but to ensure the potential benefits of AI for everyone.

Regulatory Ramblings is led by Douglas Arner and brought to you by the HKU's Reg/Tech Lab (Building Better Financial Systems), HKU-SCF Fintech Academy, Asia Global Institute, and HKU-edX Professional Certificate in FinTech, with support from the HKU Faculty of Law.

Read more details at: www.hkufintech.com

HKU FinTech is the leading fintech research and education in Asia. Learn more at www.hkufintech.com.