MAKATI CITY – Following the National AI Roadmap’s launching on 05 May 2021, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is slated to conduct one of the Competitiveness and Innovation Gear-up (CIG) Talks on 27 October 2021 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 NN via Zoom platform, bearing the theme “Artificial Intelligence (AI): Opportunities and Challenges for Philippine industries”.

Consistent with DTI’s Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (I3S), the event seeks to bring together participants from the government, industries and academe not only to deliberate on matters of common interest concerning AI, but more so to bring everyone into the fold as we embrace and adapt to our new economic realities. This occasion will also showcase some the country’s experts in the field of AI who will deepen and broaden our understanding and appreciation of this new technology.

Through this event, a productive and constructive engagement is envisaged to revolve around aspects of paramount importance such as the potentials of the envisioned National Center for AI Research; experiences and insights on the adoption of AI by businesses, especially amidst the pandemic; and, critical issues surrounding AI particularly those that are related to ethics, governance and regulations.

More than just increasing awareness among the various sectors on the prospects and challenges that come with AI, the Department also envisions that exercises such as this will guide and further capacitate industries in devising responsive business strategies on AI, anchored on the double-helix objective of advancing business goals while also promoting the broader socio-economic aspirations; and, in forging a spirit of camaraderie among businesses, particularly at a time when we are being confronted with a global health and economic disruptions of unprecedented scale, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, it is hoped that this event will help contribute to the country’s efforts towards a more innovative, inclusive and resilient post-pandemic Philippine economy.

On this note, Undersecretary Rafaelita “Fita” Aldaba stated, “While we recognize that collective efforts is instrumental in addressing challenges that are global in scale such as the pandemic, we emphasize that innovative initiatives (e.g., AI) must be harnessed and be placed at the core of all our endeavors to ensure that we will not only overcome overwhelming obstacles but also guarantee that our industries will remain adoptable amidst our ever-changing economic landscape and that they will thrive moving forward. It is in this vein, that the government, through the DTI, strives ceaselessly in exploiting the potential of the recent technological and innovative breakthroughs to propel our economy ahead and enhance the competitiveness of our industries, especially at a time when the global economy is being rocked by disruptions coming from all fronts.”

The proceedings will be live-streamed on the official Facebook pages of the DTI and DTI-CIG at https://www.fb.com/DTI.Philippines and https://www.fb.com/DTI.CIG, while the program details are available at http://innovate.dti.gov.ph.♦