Senator Imee Marcos pushed for an inquiry into using artificial intelligence (AI), which acts like a major threat to the business process outsourcing (BPO) and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) industries.

As the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, Marcos said in a news release that AI is developing quicker than most people can comprehend and that it is already threatening to take away jobs and turn employment growth upside down.

She further stated that AI is posing risks to the BPO industry and factory workers who helped the country’s economy at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which made the country gain 10% to US$29.5 billion when the world was battling the negative effects of the virus during 2020 to 2021.

In Senate Resolution No. 591, which was conducted by Oxford Economics and US-based digital technology company Cisco, the Philippines will lose 1.1 million jobs in 2028.

Furthermore, some 50% of worldwide organizations are adopting AI and automated machines this year, and investment in such technology is projected to increase in the next three years by 50% to 100%.

Marcos explained that despite the projections, AI cannot easily replace the upskilling and training of workers in special services, which must be assured in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of every company.

She pointed out the urgency of educating lawmakers about global developments in AI technology through a Senate inquiry, as well as the need for both the legislative and executive branches of government to deal fairly with the inevitable technological tsunami.

Meanwhile, Marcos added that Congress must formulate regulatory measures against severe unemployment and make the necessary amendments to the Intellectual Property Code, Revised Penal Code, and Cybercrime Prevention Act.