HARNESSING the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for economic growth and public good will depend on private companies making the new technology accessible and affordable, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME), according to President Ferdinand Marcos.
The chief executive made the appeal in his video speech at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Business and Investment Summit.
‘To our technology companies, help make useful tools affordable and accessible. To our investors and financial institutions, back enterprises with the potential to grow, including those still seeking their first opportunity,’ Marcos said.
While certain AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic currently offer the basic services of their AI for free, users must pay between US$8 to US$20 per month to access the better features.
Marcos said AI can be a game changer for MSMEs since it will reduce the time dedicated by entrepreneurs doing repetitive tasks, maximize the use of their resources, and reach more customers.
The new technology can improve healthcare by helping in research and innovation as well as making healthcare services accessible.
As chairman of the Asean this year, the President said he made sure these matters will be part of the priority developmental agenda of the regional bloc together with ensuring its food supply chain will be resilient through the Asean Food Security Alliance, reliable energy, efficient infrastructure, and deeper regional integration.
Marcos, however, cited a need to create a framework to make sure AI use will benefit the public.
‘We must invest in our people as deliberately as we invest in technology. We must strengthen trust as we expand access, and we must ensure that innovation serves the public good,’ he said.
Progress in such an endeavor, he said, will require close cooperation among ‘governments, businesses, researchers, and the people who will use these technologies every day.’
AI Governance Framework
To ensure such safeguards will be in place in the Philippines, Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) No. 131 on November 12 for the adoption of the AI Governance Framework and the creation of the National Artificial Intelligence Council.
The said framework will serve as the national strategic guide on AI and will focus on the ethics and principles of development, deployment, and use of the new technology; setting the technical standards, testing and evaluation for the said technology; risk-based policy toolkit; and strengthening institutions, data research, and development capabilities, and infrastructures to support responsible AI development.
EO 131 also created the National Artificial Intelligence Council to implement the framework.
It will be chaired by the Executive Secretary, with the secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) as vice chairman.
Its members are the secretaries of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Finance, Department of Education, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Budget and Management.
Also part of the Council are the chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
The NAIC will submit to the President, within 30 days from the end of each quarter, a report on the status and progress of the implementation of the Al Governance Framework.
It will review the framework at least once every two years, or earlier when warranted by significant technological, regulatory, or market developments, and recommend to the President any amendments or other measures if necessary.
The DICT was tasked to establish and maintain a digital monitoring and reporting platform to track the implementation of the Al Governance Framework.