President: AI is a double-edged sword, it can swing in a way it will help us

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. talks to the media in Honolulu, Hawaii before going back to Manila after his weeklong US trip. Nestor Corrales / Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — Artificial intelligence (AI) is a double-edged sword, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday (Philippine time.)

At the Daniel K. Inouye Speaker Series in Oahu, Hawaii, Marcos said that while everyone is looking forward to AI, the technology has its ups and downs.

“The latest technology that everyone of course is looking to, as it is exceedingly powerful, is AI. We have seen rather, the rather more sinister uses of artificial technology. On the other hand, we must always remember, it is a double-edged sword, and it can swing in a way that will help us,” Marcos said.

Countries are striving to transform their economies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Marcos said.

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“We have tried to bring these new technologies into the fore but once again, we have to be more cognizant of the risks involved and the reason that this is so difficult is that these things have never existed in human history and we are making this up as we go along,” he said.

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In a later interview with the media, Marcos said that many meetings during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit tackled the use of AI.

“We all know how we can use it, how we can use it for the things that we want. But what about the things, the unintended consequences of such a powerful tool? So that’s probably where the discussion will concentrate from now on,” Marcos told reporters.

Marcos is set to return to the Philippines from the weeklong trip in the United States this Monday evening.