Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Sunday urged policy-makers in the legislative and the executive branches to urgently tackle the creation of an agency tasked to craft guidelines on governance and ethics and act as “guardrail” in the use, development and implementation of a national artificial intelligence strategy.
Barbers said regulators across the world from the United States of America, Great Britain, European Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are currently rushing to draft regulations to govern the use of the booming AI technology.
He earlier filed a bill calling for the creation of a “superbody” to be known as Artificial Intelligence Development Authority (AIDA) to oversee the development and deployment of AI technologies, ensuring compliance with AI ethics principles and guidelines, and protecting the rights and welfare of individuals and communities affected by AI technologies. Rio N. Araja
“While the rapid phase of technological advancement in AI provides huge potential in the development of the people and the economy, it also poses risks and challenges that must be addressed to ensure that its benefits are maximized, and its negative impacts are minimized, if not avoided,” he said.
“Just like what we are doing, the government is there during calamities, such as storms, floods, earthquakes and fire,” he added.
The University of the Philippines recently released a draft set of 10 guiding principles on the responsible use of AI in response to the rapid development and adoption of the technology, especially in an academic environment,
In relation to possible job displacement, Barbers said he has received reports that the business process outsourcing industry, wherein there are over 528,000 call center employees, may be affected by the entry and use AI technology.
He said AI Godfather Geoffrey Hamilton himself said “AI could kill humans and there might be no way to stop it.”
“As I have said earlier, we should have a “watchdog” to guard against unscrupulous individuals, like bandits or terrorist groups, that would take advantage of or use it for their selfish or criminal ends,” he emphasized.