INCLUSIVITY and flexibility should be included in crafting policies for artificial intelligence (AI) application and utilization in the Philippines, a ranking Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) official said.
During the National Analytics and AI Summit titled “AI in the Philippines: Inclusive and Responsible Innovation” held at SM Aura in Taguig on Wednesday, DICT Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said that AI evolving at a rapid pace would require proper guidelines for its responsible utilization and application.
“Overall, we really need now is a policy that will both ensure that the development and innovation in the use of AI, and at the same time, ensure and mitigate the risks involved with its use,” Batapa-Sigue said.
“AI holds a tremendous potential to change how we live today not only as a country but for the whole world. So, while AI poses both an opportunity and a risk, we must balance innovation with regulation due to the huge amounts of possibilities it can offer, and its value as a transformative force that cannot be ignored,” she added.
The DICT official said the McKenzie Global Institute projected AI to contribute up to $15.70 trillion to the global economy by 2030 and that its potential was already being harnessed worldwide. She added that the Philippines should also start utilizing AI more widely.
“Here in the Philippines, the country is using AI to drive its own technological revolution as it is reshaping industries and creating more jobs. Therefore, I echo the call of other stakeholders to not wait until a sector moves. We must all move together in cadence for this,” Batapa-Sigue said.
She added that surveys conducted by the DICT showed that the Philippines was highly interested in generative AI, which can help propel the country’s economic growth.
“If you look at the world, AI has been here for more than two decades already and is very much used in industries. But again, with the advent of generative AI creating new products, ideas and outputs, the concept came to the forefront and became a hit among Filipinos,” Batapa-Sigue said.
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