DTI crafts road map for AI, Fourth Industrial Revolution
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is crafting a road map for the country’s artificialintelligence (AI) sector that will outline how industries will take impact from and prepare for the full swing of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Trade Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba last week signed an agreement with data scientists Christopher P. Monterola and Erika Fille T. Legara for the formulation of an AI road map. Aldaba said the creation of the road map “is very important and timely,” as it comes at a time technology is becoming part of the daily life.
With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or the age of digitization, governments from across the world are seeking ways on how to keep their labor force competitive in the face of firms adopting new solutions, particularly automation, in their operations.
“The formulation of the AI road map is very important and timely. This effort provides the impetus that will move the country forward
to keep up with the rapidly changing times,” Aldaba said in a news statement on Monday.
Part of the crafting is the establishment of an AI task force, comprised of academicians, state officials and industry stakeholders, tasked to support the initiative.
According to the DTI, the road map will analyze how AI will impact the country’s industries and labor force, and recommend policies and programs that are necessary for soft landing, such as the conduct of trainings and building of laboratories. Further, the agency will evaluate the risks and opportunities the Fourth Industrial Revolution presents to the economy.
For their part, Monterola and Legara of the Asian Institute of Management’s Aboitiz School of Innovation,
Technology and Entrepreneurship created the framework to be used in the crafting of the road map, which shall be data driven and consultative in nature.
Aldaba said the formulation of the road map should lead the way toward making the country an AI powerhouse in the region. She invited, therefore, all stakeholders to work with the DTI in the implementation of the road map initiative.
“With all of us—government, academe, industry—working together, our aspiration to become an AI center of excellence would be achieved,” the trade official said.
The Philippines obtained a score of 5.704 and a ranking of 50th among 194 economies in the Government AI Readiness Index 2019 of the Oxford Insights and the International Development Research Centre. In the region, the country placed third next only to Singapore, which topped the list, and Malaysia at 22nd.