Talent Without Borders: Process over artefact: what Taiwan’s competency reform and the UK’s AI skills push can teach each other
When AI can produce the finished work, what should we look for in the person behind it? Hear Taiwan's competency reform and the UK's AI skills push explained by the people inside both, and leave knowing what it means for how you learn, hire or teach.
The essay, the application, the deck and the online profile can all be produced in minutes. Grades, CVs and portfolios used to tell us who someone was. They no longer do. Talent Without Borders, TLA Taiwan's final event of 2026, is about what replaces them.
Our answer is process over artefact: how a person thinks, questions, collaborates and exercises judgement, and how they show it. Taiwan rebuilt its school curriculum around competencies. The UK is betting on a national AI skills push.
You will hear both systems explained by the people inside them, side by side, in one afternoon, and leave knowing what each has learned, what each is missing, and what it means for how you learn, hire or teach.
Speakers
Opening remarks
Deputy Representative Yachi Chiang 江雅綺, Taipei Representative Office in the UK
Audrey Tang 唐鳳 (video message), Taiwan's Digital Minister 2016 to 2024; Cyber Ambassador and Senior Accelerator Fellow, Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI
Panel 1 (live by video)
Professor Shang-Hsien (Patrick) Hsieh 謝尚賢 (live from Taipei), Professor of Computer-Aided Engineering, National Taiwan University; Chair of NTU Civil Engineering 2016 to 2022; founder of the NTU BIM Research Center
Jim Sun 孫憶明 (live from Taipei), Adjunct Professor, NTU Leadership Program; Head of Asia, People Squared Solutions; founder of HiAchieve Technology and AceMentor Technology; formerly Microsoft, McKinsey and Foxconn
Jerry Chang (London-based, live from New York), Co-Founder, UK AI Literacy Programme; Senior AI Transformation Lead, Google
Professor Chengwei Liu (London-based, live from New York), Professor of Strategy and Behavioural Science, Imperial College London; Department Editor, Management Science
Panel 2 (in the room)
Kester Brewin, Associate Director, Institute for the Future of Work; founder, Social Technical
Tejasva (TJ) Gupta, Consultant, The Tesseract Academy; AI Skills Boost Hub delivery team
Jim Clark, Associate Director, Impact & Influence; communications, public affairs and policy adviser specialising in science, technology and innovation
Talent routes update
Sarah Lau, Barrister and Head of Asia Pacific and Greater China Desk, Irwin Mitchell LLP
Full speaker bios and photos: tlataiwan.co.uk/events/talent-without-borders
What you'll leave with
A clear answer to what employers and educators should assess instead of AI detection, from a university that rebuilt its curriculum around it and an employer who hires on it.
Both sides of the comparison: how Taiwan's competency reform and the UK's AI skills push each define capability, and where they disagree.
If you are early in your career: how to be known for judgement, curiosity and the relationships you build, not just polished digital work, with practical advice on showing it in person.
If you hire or teach: what a classroom, a workplace and a national skills platform can measure beyond completed tasks.
The current UK immigration routes for talent, explained by a barrister who uses them every week.
Two panels and audience questions, then time with the UK-Taiwan community.
Programme (UK time)
12:30 Doors open and registration
13:00 Welcome from TLA Taiwan, opening remarks from Deputy Representative Yachi Chiang, then a video message from Audrey Tang.
13:17 Panel 1, live by video: Taiwan and a UK practitioner. Is detecting AI in education and hiring a lost cause, and what should we be assessing instead? With Professor Patrick Hsieh and Jim Sun, joining live from Taipei, and Jerry Chang of the UK AI Literacy Programme and Professor Chengwei Liu of Imperial College London, both joining live from New York. 45 minutes of conversation, then five minutes of audience questions.
14:07 Talent routes update: Sarah Lau of Irwin Mitchell LLP on immigration routes to the UK.
14:22 Short break
14:30 Panel 2, in the room: the UK view. From the classroom to the first job, when AI can produce the finished work, what should schools and employers look for in the person behind it, and how does a young person show it? Kester Brewin of the Institute for the Future of Work, Tejasva (TJ) Gupta of The Tesseract Academy and Jim Clark of Impact & Influence. 45 minutes of conversation, then five minutes of audience questions.
15:20 Close
15:25 Networking and refreshments: time with the UK-Taiwan community over Taiwanese fried chicken (鹽酥雞) and milk tea (奶茶) from Wine The Noodles (醉牛), until 16:00
Who it's for
Graduates and early-career professionals working out how to stand out. Hiring managers who no longer trust a polished CV. Educators and edtech founders rethinking assessment. Anyone in the UK-Taiwan community who wants to see how two systems are answering the same question. You don't need to be an AI specialist. Each panel ends with questions from the room.
Event details
Date: Saturday 21 November 2026, 13:00 to 16:00 (doors open 12:30)
Venue: Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX
Speakers: Deputy Representative Yachi Chiang, Audrey Tang, Professor Shang-Hsien (Patrick) Hsieh, Jim Sun, Jerry Chang, Kester Brewin, Tejasva (TJ) Gupta, Jim Clark and Sarah Lau.
Refreshments: Taiwanese fried chicken (鹽酥雞) and milk tea (奶茶) from Wine The Noodles (醉牛), served after the panels.
Join us for TLA Taiwan's final gathering of the year.
TLA Taiwan is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit community. Ticket prices go directly towards catering and the costs of running the event.