DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez
MANILA – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) targets to implement the roadmap for the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) next year, Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
At the virtual launch of AI Coalition Wednesday, Lopez said the roadmap will help the country to be an “AI center for excellence” in the region, backed by the rich local talent pool and vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The DTI, together with the Asian Institute of Management, is crafting the AI Roadmap for Industry that covers agribusiness, manufacturing, and services industries.
Lopez said prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak in the country, some industries were already rolling out AI in their operations particularly among banks.
There were also several startups offering AI solutions to consumers and businesses, making day-to-day transactions more accessible to the public, the trade chief added.
Lopez said at the onset of the pandemic, AI technologies have been helping the country navigate the new normal.
“Aside from chatbots taking over as businesses limit human-to-human interaction, AI technologies have been used in contact tracing, health assessment and monitoring, knowledge management, and addressing supply chain issues,” he said.
Lopez added the country has several programs like the Philippine skills framework that will reskill and upskill the local workforce to adapt quickly on the future of work with AI.
“With AI technologies, we can future-proof our country from the Fourth Industrial Revolution even as we gain more opportunities to create more inclusive economic growth. Through AI, we can create a better normal in a post-Covid-19 future even as we realize President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s dream of giving all Filipinos a better quality of life,” he said. (PNA)
