THE government is working on a comprehensive framework on using artificial intelligence (AI) to avail economic opportunities, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters at the National Innovation Day event on Wednesday.
“We have implemented some form of policy... and presented our framework to the President,” Balisacan said, but added that a more formal version of the framework must be crafted.
This will be finalized by June, Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said.
The initiative comes as AI adoption spreads globally and across Southeast Asia, with governments racing to harness its potential to drive productivity, innovation and long-term growth.
For the Philippines, Balisacan said the focus is on ensuring that AI becomes “a positive force,” supported by coordinated efforts among government, the private sector and academe.
“Across Southeast Asia, countries are steadily improving their innovation performance,” Balisacan said. “Singapore continues to lead, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines are making strong gains.”
AI could contribute a 10-percent growth to the region’s economy by 2030, “powered by knowledge, technology and innovation,” Balisacan said.
“Governance and framework are crucial. We also need to invest in cybersecurity. We need to ensure there is accountability,” he added.
“[AI] can be misused, there are real risks and dangers especially to children and women.”
Data showed that advanced economies in Asia and the Pacific scored an average of 0.19 in digital infrastructure under the AI Preparedness Index, supported by strong connectivity, computing capacity, cloud access and more mature data systems.
In contrast, many developing economies, including the Philippines, scored below 0.11, reflecting persistent constraints such as connectivity gaps, limited access to cloud services and fragmented data environments.
“By promoting transparency, fairness, accountability and human oversight, the framework [would] help ensure that AI is used responsibly and that its benefits are widely shared,” Balisacan said.
