Senator Grace Poe on Friday, May 16  called for the development of guidelines and tools that would ensure artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the country are ethical and inclusive, and innovative.

Poe said the question of governance becomes increasingly urgent as AI continues to disrupt and revolutionize business, industries and households.

Technology, especially new ones, the senator noted has a lot of nuances that should not be over-regulated and stifled.

But definitely, AI, Poe said, has to be somewhat regulated due to its ability to misinform and deceive people.

“I know that there are laws now that are being proposed in the Senate. It's still pending. It's

very important that we don't just rush and pass a law without actual proper and consultation,” Poe said at the recent conference of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce.

“But definitely AI has to be somewhat regulated because, for example, we know that they use AI now to impersonate people and to scam people,”

“But we also use AI in research and many other ways by which we are able to improve our lives. So all of these considerations have to be balanced before we can pass a law that can address AI,” she stressed.

During the event, Poe expressed her gratitude to the Indian-Filipino community for its contribution to economic growth and social development of the country.

She cited as an example the partnership between a Filipino company and an Indian firm, Megawide and GMR, which successfully developed the world-class Cebu-Mactan International Airport.

"We have also seen that many Indians are natural entrepreneurs. They create jobs and, of course, they're a peace-loving group here in our country,” the lawmaker said.

“We need to continue to encourage more of them to come in and invest here, especially with the passage of the Public Service Act," Poe said.

It was Poe, then chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, who steered the passage of Republic Act No. 11659 which amended the decades-old Public Services Act.

The law allowed greater participation of foreign firms, in turn, liberalizing several sectors such as the telecommunications industry.

Poe said she believes opening up the Philippine economy to more players would encourage competition and spur the economy, besides giving consumers better options.

“With these policies in place, it is hoped that more Indian enterprises will make the Philippines an investment destination of choice,” the senator stressed.