The Asia Foundation Convenes Government, Private Sector to Discuss Responsible AI in the Philippines  

While there is widespread agreement that AI has the power to transform workplaces and societies, and there is agreement that AI must be developed and implemented responsibly, there are still differing opinions on what “responsible AI” is and the policy frameworks needed to ensure the responsible adoption of AI.  

To that end, The Asia Foundation, together with the East-West Management Institute and LIRNEasia with funding from IDRC Canada, convened a roundtable in the Philippines January 28, 2025, to discuss responsible AI and share key findings from the first Global Index for Responsible AI. The index is an assessment of 138 countries and jurisdictions on their advancements in responsible AI across three key dimensions: human rights, governance, and technical capacity. 

The roundtable brought together representatives from the national government, the Congress of the Philippines, the private sector, tech companies, and non-governmental organizations, underscoring the collective effort required to advance responsible AI in the Philippines.  

The discussion highlighted the state of adoption of responsible AI through policy frameworks and actions by various sectors when it comes to promoting human rights in AI design, development, deployment, and use.  

The Philippines ranked 31st globally, with a score of 35.46 out of 100—significantly higher than the Asia and Oceania regional average of 19.80. This ranking also placed the country fourth among nations in East and Southeast Asia, marking a notable achievement in the region.  

In the past, the Philippines has struggled in information and communication technology rankings relating to digital technology, infrastructure, and connectivity, said Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos, research fellow of LIRNEasia and Global Index for Responsible AI Philippine country researcher.  

“The Global Index on Responsible AI is different, as it is concerned with the human-centeredness of AI design, development, deployment, and governance,” she said. “Using a human rights lens to look at AI use, the Philippines ranked 31st out of 138 countries.”  

One of the takeaways from the report and discussion was that non-state actors play a pivotal role in the Philippines in promoting ethical and responsible AI. Academic institutions, civil society organizations, and private companies champion human rights in AI design, development, deployment, and governance. These efforts impact some of the critical areas—such as labor rights, gender equality, cultural and linguistic diversity, and combating bias and discrimination—the nation needs to consider when deploying responsible AI.   

Regarding labor rights, Mirandilla-Santos, citing the index findings, cautioned that while there are many initiatives on upskilling workers, these do not necessarily correlate with sufficient labor protections for workers whose jobs might be at risk of displacement from AI and for those working in new AI-related industries.  

Sam Chittick, The Asia Foundation’s Philippines country representative, said there are two challenges for the country to address in that regard. “First, to develop a governance framework that meaningfully translates responsible AI principles into action—one that includes protections for workers and communities impacted by AI.  

“Second, to foster collaboration between government, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders to ensure that AI serves as a force for good” that advances opportunity and human rights for all Filipinos, he said.   

The Global Index for Responsible AI findings emphasize the urgent need to enhance the Philippines’ AI governance framework and policy landscape to sustain and build upon these successes.  

“Responsible AI is a new, emerging approach for the Philippines, but the principles behind it are things we are already familiar with,” Mirandilla-Santos said. “Responsible AI blends well with the core democratic values of fairness and transparency.” 

Merl Chandana of LIRNEasia discussed key takeaways from the Global Index Responsible AI, noting: Governance does not necessarily translate into responsible AI; international cooperation is an important cornerstone of current responsible AI practices; workers in AI economies are not adequately protected; and responsible AI must incorporate cultural and linguistic diversity.  

Attourney Oliver Reyes of UP Law Center said: “The [Global Index for Responsible AI] rankings are still ultimately helpful because it does represent an attempt to try to set a norm, perhaps even a universal norm—or universal norms—as to what we should be looking [at] when developing AI, when regulating AI, because otherwise we’re just all going to figure this out on our own.” 

Engineer Elmer Peramo noted that the index results provided some vision of how the Philippines can navigate the AI landscape in terms of responsible AI, but he cautioned that one of the challenges is the technological complexity of the AI itself.   

Chittick said: “The Asia Foundation is committed to actively shaping the future of AI by collaborating with key local leaders and stakeholders in the sector. We aim to contribute to AI that is developed and implemented responsibly, and that drives jobs and economic growth for the Philippines”