Probe into use of AI in call centers, factory jobs in PH sought in Senate 

 
Senator Imee Marcos has filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by some industries in the Philippines, saying this could potentially aggravate the country's unemployment situation.
 
Marcos, in filing Senate Resolution No. 591, said lawmakers should look into the use of AI and its possible negative effect on workers in the country’s services and manufacturing sectors. 
 
As chair of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, the President’s sister said she is concerned about the imminent loss of jobs particularly in business process outsourcing (BPO) and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) companies, which have shown huge potential in job creation despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
“AI is developing faster than most people can comprehend and is threatening to take away jobs and turn employment growth upside down,” Marcos warned.
 
“Will call center agents and factory workers soon be treated as dispensable, after propping up our economy during a global health crisis?” she asked.
 
Marcos noted that at the height of Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 to 2021, the BPO industry grew by 10 percent to $29.5-billion.
 
The senator cited a study by Oxford Economics and U.S.-based digital technology company Cisco, predicting that at least 1.1 million jobs in the Philippines will disappear by 2028 due to the rise of AI.
 
Global consulting and advisory group Deloitte and professional services network KMPG also said that some 50 percent of organizations worldwide are seen already adopting AI and automated machines this year, while investments in such technologies are projected to increase in the next three years by 50 to 100 percent.
 
Marcos said a Senate inquiry into the matter would help educate lawmakers about global developments in AI “and the need for both the legislative and executive branches of government to deal squarely with an inevitable technological tsunami.”
 
The senator had earlier said it is critical for Congress to formulate measures aimed at addressing potential severe unemployment and to make the necessary amendments to the Intellectual Property Code (IPC), Revised Penal Code, and Cybercrime Prevention Act, among others. 
 
Marcos also insisted on the need to include the “upskilling and training of workers in special services that AI cannot easily replace” as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of businesses.