Philippines Bans Military From Using AI Apps
The Facts
The Philippines has ordered its military to avoid using digital apps that use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate digital portraits, warning they could pose "significant privacy and security risks."
According to an Oct. 14 memo confirmed on Friday, the Philippine defense chief said AI image generators are dangerous because they compile users' data and create a "digital person that mimics how a real individual speaks and moves."
The Spin
Narrative A
The Philippines is among many nations that believe AI is an emerging technology that poses a pressing global challenge. It's right to emphasize the need for a conversation to establish rules and institutions to govern the responsible use of AI. On a broader scale, it wants the UN to create a legally binding instrument prohibiting lethal autonomous weapons systems.
Narrative B
AI is a catch-all for everything, from relatively uncontroversial technology like autocomplete to crime-predicting software. Our fears about the latter, underlined by Hollywood's apocalyptic portrayals of the technology, might be overwhelming our beliefs. Inevitably, AI will seep into almost every sphere of life. It would be better to keep pace with it than play catch-up.
