From newspaper boy in Saigon to AI researcher in Gothenburg

Phong Trang grew up in difficult financial circumstances in Saigon. His father had problems with alcohol, and there was violence in the family. His mother made a living walking from street to street selling lottery tickets, while Phong Trang delivered newspapers in the same area to help pay his school fees.

– For me, the best way to give something back to my mother was to study hard and get good grades. Education meant a great deal to me. It gave me not only knowledge, but also access to people and opportunities I would not otherwise have had. Without school, I could easily have ended up selling lottery tickets on the street, just like my mother. Education let me think beyond the circumstances I was born into.

Phong Trang became the first person in his extended family to finish high school and go on to university. There, he trained to become a teacher of Chinese, inspired by his own teachers.

– We came from very different backgrounds, some of us from wealthy families and others, like me, from underprivileged ones. At that time, it was common for parents not to want their children to spend time with classmates from poor families. Our teachers worked hard to change that. They organised activities outside class and got us talking to each other, until we simply saw each other as friends. I wanted to carry that forward.

Scholarship on the fourth attempt

At university, he became involved in international student exchanges. Meeting students from other countries sparked his curiosity about the wider world and encouraged him to start applying for scholarships to study abroad.

It took four years before he succeeded in securing a scholarship from the Swedish Institute.

– I applied four times. The last time, I decided to tell my own story and explain how I wanted to use technology to make education more accessible, including for people living in remote parts of Vietnam.

In 2020, he came to Sweden to study the international Master's Programme in Applied IT and Learning at the University of Gothenburg. It was one of the few programmes that accepted students with his educational background.

Studying in Sweden proved transformative, not least because of his encounter with Swedish approaches to education and leadership.

– I was fascinated by the emphasis on critical thinking and by the expectation that everyone should contribute to discussions and decisions. Hierarchies are more pronounced in Vietnam. Here, I learned the value of listening to different perspectives and allowing people to participate.

Looking for time to think

After completing his master's degree, Phong Trang spent nearly four years working in industry, mostly at Volvo Cars, where he worked with digital products and, among other things, generative AI.

He enjoyed his work, but gradually began to question what the rapid development of AI might mean for people's ability to think and make independent judgements.

– I noticed that I was beginning to lose my understanding of my own work. AI could produce enormous amounts of information very quickly, but I didn't always have time to process it. At the same time, we were constantly expected to work faster.

It became a turning point. He began questioning a working culture in which efficiency and speed were valued more highly than reflection and deeper understanding.

– I wanted to slow down and really think. But that is difficult to do in industry. That's why pursuing a PhD felt like the right path for me.

The decision meant leaving a well-paid job for a considerably lower doctoral salary. For someone who had grown up with financial insecurity, it was far from an obvious choice.

– For most of my life, I have tried to create a better life for myself and my mother. This is the first time I am really doing something for myself.

Researching AI and professional judgement

Phong Trang is now back at the University of Gothenburg as a doctoral student at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning. He is part of the GRAITE graduate school, which focuses on AI in teacher education.

His research explores how generative AI affects teacher educators' professional judgement and responsibility. As AI systems move beyond being simple tools and begin suggesting solutions, producing content and participating in decision-making, the conditions of professional work are changing.

– In the past, we have had machines that could replace parts of our physical work. Now we have machines that can also perform tasks that require thinking. What does that mean for our professional identity and judgement?

His decision to focus specifically on teacher education is no coincidence.

– Education is what lifted me out of the circumstances I was born into. Now that AI is changing how we learn and how we produce knowledge, I want to give something back to that field.

He also sees broader questions that education systems will need to address.

– If students have access to AI that can answer almost any question, what does it mean to learn something? What do we need to teach, and how should we assess students' knowledge?”

A new direction in life

Returning to university has meant a major change. After four years in industry, Phong Trang particularly appreciates having the time to read, delve deeper into questions and reflect.

He admits that he still sometimes questions his decision, particularly when he thinks about the financial consequences. But he also feels that he has found something that gives him a sense of purpose.

– Now I have time to read an entire report instead of asking AI to summarise it for me. I have time to think and reflect. It makes me feel human.

So what would the boy in Saigon, who did not even know whether he would be able to continue to high school, make of the fact that he is now pursuing a PhD at the University of Gothenburg?

– He would probably wonder why I left a well-paid job. But today, I'm confident that this is what I want to do.

Text: Ragnhild Larsson