ACKNOWLEDGING THAT artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said the administration would embrace the technology to enhance learning initiatives that improve the youth’s critical thinking and innovation skills.
In his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the government has launched multiple learning programs to boost AI literacy among students and enhance the country’s global competitiveness in education.
“AI is here to stay, and so we adopt it to harness its potential to enhance critical sectors, from our educational system to our industries,” Marcos said at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, July 27.
Marcos said the AI learning initiatives have reached 1.8 million individuals, consisting of students, parents and teachers.
He said AI is crucial for cultivating creativity and problem-solving skills among students at a time when digital safety is crucial.
Marcos also attributed the problems faced by the youth, such as mental health concerns, teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, to “harmful influences” online.
“We must protect them [children] from the harmful influences and forces that exploit their vulnerability, the corrosive influence of fake news, the unfettered exposure to pornography, even to minors, the constant depiction of casual violence and the toxicity and hate culture pervasive in social media,” he said.
Pax Silica
Marcos also enumerated the expected economic gains from the US-led Pax Silica, which he described as an opportunity to improve employment and spur economic growth.
“A product of the 23-member-strong and US-led Pax Silica Initiative, the Pax Silica Industrial Hub will create an ecosystem that will have AI at its core. It will bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalize our economy,” Marcos said.
Pax Silica is an international alliance formed to secure global supply chains for AI, semiconductors and critical minerals.
The initiative involves the construction of the Pax Silica New Clark City, a 1,620-hectare industrial and innovation district that integrates semiconductor packaging, electronics, AI computing, research and development and mineral processing.
The Philippines officially joined the project on April 17.
“As a strategic component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, the hub will be an advanced manufacturing and logistics center in the global AI and technology value chain,” the President said.
However, Pax Silica faces growing concerns from civil society and environmental advocates.
The Makabayan bloc, a coalition led by ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Kabataan Rep. Renee Louise Co, has filed a House resolution to call for an investigation into the Pax Silica initiative.
In a joint statement, the Makabayan bloc said the large-scale data center would consume large amounts of electricity and would consequently make the country have one of the highest power rates in Asia. F
