ALL EARS. Dr Emil P Bolangaita (Carnegie Mellon University) talks about artificial intelligence and analytics in Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. Photo by Pete Vamenta.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines –  A talk about the issues and implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Philippine’s government policies was conducted by Dr Emil P Bolangaita, head of Carnegie Mellon University – Australia (CMU-A), in the American Lecture Space (5F Library), February 29, Saturday.

Dr Bolangaita, a social scientist who took his formative grade school and high school years in Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, stressed the importance of AI and analytics in public policy as the government deals with large volumes of data. He says that utilizing AI in public policy is a convergence in the STEM field and the social sciences.

He posits that because the world is getting more populous and modernized, there seems to be a ‘data deluge’ wherein the amount of data produced rivals the limited faculty of humans in analysing it. Thus, there will be a dependence on AI-incorporated machines in order to do things people cannot.

These machines do not only result to mobility and efficiency, but also gives humans more autonomy. Dr Bolangaita envisions driverless cars controlled at home, applications that makes restaurant reservations without assistance, and medical programs that tailor ‘personalized’ medicine from mapping out an individual’s body, among other technologies.

Dr Bolangaita cites the lack of support on AI and analytics from governments seeing it more of a costly burden instead of an opportunity to provide for better services to its people and improve its productivity. He says that governments should adapt in the changing times.

Governments can utilize AI in public services including but are not limited to public health, performance, segmentation, criminal justice, policing, fraud detection, and money laundering detection. The Philippine government recently sent ten government agency personnel to CMU-A for further studies in hopes of developing a National Innovation Strategy.∎

SUCCESSFUL TALK. Dr Emil P Bolangaita (Carnegie Mellon University), with faculty, staff, and students post after the talk. Photo by Pete Vamenta.