Cartoon By: Aaron Paul C. Caril
EDITORIAL
Stolen by AI
In July of this year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched the National AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0 (NAISR 2.0) and the Center for AI Research (CAIR) with an ambitious goal of positioning the Philippines as a Center of Excellence in AI R&D.
DTI’s press release states that the NAISR 2.0 incorporates recent technological advancements, including Generative AI. The roadmap recalibrates the strategic actions, considering recent developments, and addresses emerging themes such as ethics and governance. The new roadmap pursues the strategic mission to harness AI’s transformative potential in boosting the Philippine economy and improving the quality of life for its citizens.
CAIR will be pivotal in leveraging AI’s transformative potential to address societal and industrial challenges, stimulate economic growth, and promote inclusive development. CAIR’s mission is to transform the Philippines into a premier destination for AI-driven innovation and investments.
DTI further disclosed that by creating AI solutions for regional concerns, notably sustainable agriculture, urban planning, and disaster resilience, CAIR hopes to establish the Philippines as a leader in multiple AI application areas. Through technological innovation, multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research, and the development of full-time research scientists, engineers, and R&D personnel, CAIR aims to promote socio-economic R&D, improve scientific knowledge, and strengthen the competitiveness of science and technology in the country while balancing and ensuring responsible AI adoption to improve public services and the lives of Filipinos.
NAISR 2.0 looks promising, but the current realities in the Philippine labor force and the country’s educational system are bleak, especially when AI goes mainstream and steals humans’ jobs in the labor market.
The World Bank is wary about mainstreaming AI. One of its economists warned that more than a quarter of the Philippine workforce could be at risk of being replaced by AI, with limited chances of these jobs being complemented by new technologies. Roughly 26% of the labor force in the Philippines is exposed to AI shock with low chances of adaptation and at risk of being substituted.
As of July 2024, the labor force in the Philippines is estimated to be 50.07 million people aged 15 and older. This figure includes people who are employed, unemployed, or seeking work for the first time. Using the reported employment rate of 95.5% in January this year, more than 12 million workers are at risk of displacement due to AI adoption. This is not a negligible number of people.The number of children who may be impacted by the potential job loss can even be higher.
With our educational system still grappling with the bare essentials, such as the lack of classrooms and the scarcity of competent teaching force, and more importantly, how to integrate AI in the curriculum and classroom instruction, it is unlikely that the system will produce graduates with the necessary AI skills over a couple of years.
While it is a legitimate concern for the Philippines to be on track with the AI bandwagon, the job skills of the current labor force still need to be improved to address the needs of the companies investing in AI. With the current state of education, it may be too much to expect AI-ready graduates in the next 5 to 10 years without substantially investing in education and training.