AI Development in the Philippines: Enhancing Public Services

The Philippine government has recently focused its efforts in the utilization of Information Technology to help improve the lives of its citizens. In the past decade, a dedicated Department of ICT was created to focus efforts in digitalization through a National ICT Development Agenda. Currently in the works is an E-Governance Law that has been tagged as urgent by the current regime. With the rapid advancement of research and development in the realms of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), it is time to seriously consider these technologies and the advantages they may provide for e-governance systems be it in the local or national level.

Advantages of AI and ML for e-government systems

1. Improved Efficiency: AI and ML can automate a variety of processes, reducing the need for manual intervention.
2. Enhanced Accuracy: AI and ML can help prevent fraud and corruption by automating audits and reducing data entry and analysis errors.
3. Increasing accountability and transparency: The use of AI and ML allows the government to easily track and monitor processes, and automatically share these reports to stakeholders or even the general public without the need for human intervention.
4. Encourage Citizen Engagement: AI and ML can improve citizen engagement by providing personalized services, instant responses to queries, and automatic and personalized access to information.
5. Leadership Insight: AI and ML can provide insights into the enormous data that government collects across its various units and agencies. This would allow the government to make holistic, informed, and data-driven decisions, policies, and laws.AI and ML applications in e-government systems

AI and ML applications in e-government systems

There are several AI and ML applications that can be incorporated into e-government systems that can be advantageous Philippines LGUs and National Agencies. Some examples include:

1. Chatbots: AI-based chatbots with Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities can fully automate interactions with citizens looking to avail of services from the government. AI Chatbots can be used to provide citizens with rapid and personalized responses to their questions. Chatbots can be trained to pull data from a rich data set of Frequently Asked Questions or other information sources about government services much faster than any human and reply promptly to citizen queries. AI chatbots can even assist in filling out Government Forms by providing a much friendlier user interface in a question and answer format that will fill out a form automatically.
   
2. Predictive analytics: Predictive analytics can assist the government in identifying the resources and projects to be deployed for the citizenry before it actually needed. For example, we can feed data on traffic, population movements, and commuter behavior over the past years for a specific city or location and anticipate the needed for additional mass transit systems and road expansion projects before actual traffic congestion takes place.
   
3. Fraud detection: AI and ML can be utilized to detect fraud by analyzing data to identify unusual patterns and behaviors. This can prevent the misappropriation of government funds and resources before it gets out of hand.
4. Sentiment Analysis: AI can detect the mood and demeanor of its citizens by analyzing social media, chats, and direct interactions with government agencies to gauge the sentiment of its citizens. This can assist the government in understanding how citizens feel about its policies, services, and programs and promptly adjust and address these to ensure smoother implementation.
5. Process Automation: AI and ML can be used to automate various processes, reducing the need for manual intervention and enabling faster and more efficient service delivery. This includes examples already being deployed such as non-contact apprehension of traffic violators through automated detection of the violation and the license plate of the violator.
   

Challenges and considerations

There are a variety of challenges and factors to consider when choosing to implement AI and ML in e-governance systems in the Philippines. Perhaps the main point to consider is the effect of AI and ML to personal privacy. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in e-government systems necessitates the collection and analysis of citizen data. Selecting which data is deemed ‘acceptable’ to process and analyze should be done with transparency and with the citizen’s explicit consent. The security of storage of sensitive personal data should also be taken into account and as much care as possible must be made to avoid such data going into the wrong hands.

Secondly, in the Philippines, not all citizens have access to technology, which can hinder the efficacy of e-governance systems that rely on AI and ML. It is imperative that any system to be developed should take into account how citizens can access it and ensure that citizens will not be left behind simply because they cannot afford a smartphone or Internet access.

Implementing AI and ML in e-governance systems can be expensive, necessitating substantial investments in technology and training. This is particularly true if the AI/ML would be dependent on third-party technologies from other countries. It is essential to justify the implementation of these systems by demonstrating that their advantages outweigh their expenses and that internal/local expertise in AI/ML technologies be encouraged and nurtured to allow the country to compete globally without dependence from other countries.

Private companies in the Philippines, are working diligently to develop AI and ML-powered products and services that can be integrated with e-governance systems securely and transparently to allow the Philippines to benefit from this groundbreaking technology.

Conclusion

The implementation of AI and ML in e-governance systems in the Philippines can provide citizens and the government with significant benefits. These technologies can improve service delivery and citizen engagement by automating processes, enhancing accuracy and transparency, and providing data insights. However, when implementing these technologies, obstacles such as data privacy, access to technology, skills and expertise, and cost must be considered.

Contact us today and find out how EACOMM Corporation can help you leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for your LGU or Government Agency.