MANILA -- Several government agencies backed the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Development Authority (AIDA) under House Bill 7396 or the “Artificial Intelligence Development and Regulation Act of the Philippines”.

As the use of AI continues to spread globally, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) emphasized the need for the Philippines to maximize this technology.

In the hearing of the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology on Monday, DICT Undersecretary Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said, “We need this technology to increase our efficiency, to increase our productivity, to increase our economic growth.”

“In the next 10 years by 2030, the AI economy will grow as much as $15 trillion. It is up to us in this country to leverage on this technology,” Batapa-Sigue added.

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Representatives of DICT, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), among other agencies, said they agree with the provisions of the AI bill.

The measure defines AIDA as an intelligence body tasked 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.”  

It will be governed by a Board of Trustees composed of permanent and ex-officio members from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), DICT, National Privacy Commission, DOJ, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Philippine National Police, other government offices, and experts from the private sector and the academe.

According to the bill’s author, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Barbers, the Philippines cannot be left behind in the AI game.

“It is very important and crucial because there is a rapid pace of technological advancement,” Barbers stated.

DICT Undersecretary David Almirol, Jr., said they would need additional budget for AI, especially since their division that was supposed to handle emerging technologies was dissolved due to the lack of funds.

DOST, for its part, recommended the alignment of HB 7396 and other AI bills with laws including the Data Privacy Act, Cybercrime Prevention Act, and Consumer Protection Act.

For Alliance of Tech Innovators for the Nation (ATIN) Lead Convenor Monchito Ibrahim, however, it is not yet time to create a new agency that will regulate the use of AI.

“The proposal of ATIN is to empower DICT who is supposed to be the agency responsible for creating the governance framework to make sure AI is used responsibly,” Ibrahim said. “Walang regulatory power ang DICT.” (DICT does not have regulatory power.)

Ibrahim also pointed out the need for a “national reskilling and upskilling” to give workers the capacity to use AI tools.

"If we don't get workforce ready, a lot of them will lose their jobs. But AI will present new job opportunities and we need to get workers ready for that," Ibrahim said.

Cybersecurity expert Dominic Ligot, founder of Data Ethics PH, said speed is key when you talk about AI.

“I will not opine on whether we make a new agency or not. Whatever we do, we need to do it fast because crimes are being committed. And right now our law enforcement are not equipped,” Ligot said.  

He also suggested the creation of a Code of Conduct in dealing with AI.

Members of the House Committee agreed to create a technical working group to harmonize all the AI bills.

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