Senator Grace Poe called for the development of guidelines and tools to make sure Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in the country are ethical and inclusive, and innovative.
Speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce, Poe said the question of governance becomes increasingly urgent as AI continues to disrupt and revolutionize business, industries and even homes.
“It’s very important that we don’t just rush and pass a law without actual and proper consultation.”
“I know that there are laws now that are being proposed in the Senate. It’s still pending. It’s very important that we don’t just rush and pass a law without actual and proper consultation,” the veteran legislator said.
The seasoned lawmaker said technology, especially new ones, has a lot of nuances that should not be over-regulated and stifled.
“But definitely AI has to be somewhat regulated because, for example, we know that they use AI now to impersonate people and to scam people. But we also use AI in research and many other ways by which we are able to improve our lives. So all of these considerations have to be balanced before we can pass a law that can address AI,” the senator added.
During the event, she thanked the Indian-Filipino community for its contribution to economic growth and social development of the country.
Poe cited the partnership between a Filipino company and an Indian firm, Megawide and GMR, which successfully developed the world-class Cebu-Mactan International Airport.
“We have also seen that many Indians are natural entrepreneurs. They create jobs and, of course, they’re a peace-loving group here in our country. We need to continue to encourage more of them to come in and invest here, especially with the passage of the Public Service Act,” she said.
Poe, who was then chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, steered the passage of Republic Act (RA) 11659, which is the law that amended the decades-old Public Services Act.
The law liberalizes several sectors such as the telecommunications industry, allowing greater participation of foreign investment.
“We believe that opening up the economy to more players will encourage competition which will spur efficiency and give consumers better choices.”
“We believe that opening up the economy to more players will encourage competition which will spur efficiency and give consumers better choices,” she said.
“With these policies in place, it is hoped that more Indian enterprises will make the Philippines an investment destination of choice,” Poe concluded.
