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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is studying the possibility of using artificial intelligence (AI) in profiling travelers as part of the government’s effort to curb human trafficking.
“We’ll try to see if we can use artificial intelligence to vet many people who want to leave, especially those prone to human trafficking…It’s a tool we can use,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters Wednesday after the first coordination meeting for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Task Force Against Trafficking held at the Naia.
Remulla said he would leave it up to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to propose the appropriate budget for the use of AI.
The DOJ chief is also asking for travelers’ understanding of the government’s strict screening resulting to long queues.
“I hope they understand that it is part of our culture to protect our fellow Filipinos from being trafficked and becoming modern-day slaves. That is part of the duty of the Bureau of Immigration, and there is nothing we can do about that. The prevailing advisory is that we should arrive very early at the airport for processing to avoid the risk of being offloaded,” Remulla said.
Earlier, the DOJ said human traffickers have become more creative in attracting potential victims as they managed to get the attention of professional tech-savvy individuals who are well-traveled to work in regional call centers. However, these victims would later on be involved in online scamming and other fraudulent activities.
Remulla added that more immigration counters would be opened as the BI is currently hiring more immigration personnel as part of its program to ease congestion at the airports.
The DOJ-led Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) earlier said it is in the process of revising the departure formalities to minimize inconvenience being experienced by Filipino travelers.