JINGGOY SEEKS AI TRAINING FOR GOV’T PERSONNEL

EMPHASIZING the need to equip government employees with a clear understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) works, including its benefits and risks, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has introduced a bill proposing a specialized AI training program for specific government personnel.

“Skills gap is one of the challenges of the workforce, especially with the rise of generative AI. Government agencies must therefore start training and enhancing the capabilities of civil servants when it comes to AI,” Estrada said.

In his Senate Bill No. 2930 or the proposed “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Training for Government Workforce Act”, Estrada noted that many companies worldwide have already integrated AI into their operations while government agencies across the globe are actively working to understand AI and its impact on the public workforce.

“The debate and conversation around AI have been everywhere – whether it really helps people in their everyday lives or it is simply a threat to the global workforce. AI really has a lot of potential – from automating tasks to making it easier for complex questions to be answered in just a matter of seconds,” he said.

While there is an urgent need to create an agile and resilient workforce in light of technological advancements, Estrada stressed that the government must also strike a balance between harnessing AI’s benefits, managing its risks and seizing the opportunities it presents.

“Investing in AI training will not only future-proof the workforce but also improve services for the public,” he said.

Under SB 2930, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) shall formulate and lead an AI Training Program which will cover how AI works and its core concepts, its benefits for the government, potential risks like discrimination and privacy issues, future AI trends to include national security and innovation concerns, and provide risk mitigation strategies for safe and trustworthy AI.

Estrada also proposed to have the training, which will be funded under the yearly budget, to be conducted at least every two years.

Covered employees are those involved in program management, planning, research, development, engineering, testing, quality control, procurement, logistics, cost estimation, and others designated by the agency head for AI training.