QUEZON CITY (PIA)— The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Spectee Inc. recently launched Spectee Pro in a bid to introduce artificial intelligence to help the Philippine government deal with local disasters.
National government agencies and media partners focused on utilization of AI to swiftly deal with disasters in a study session at the Ambassador’s residence in Makati City on August 11.
JICA chief representative Sakamoto Takema emphasized the strong ties between the Philippines and Japan noting JICA’s provision of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the various means such as provision of loans, grant assistance, technical cooperation and public-private partnerships among others.
“We have all heard how AI has transformed our lives today dramatically. It is making tasks easier from writing love letter through ChatGPT to driving cars even without steering wheels,” Sakamoto said in his opening message as he highlighted AI’s increased presence in daily life.
Philippine Information Agency Director General Undersecretary Jose A. Torres Jr. then expressed the Philippine government’s openness to integrate technological innovations such as AI in government processes particularly in disaster and information.
“We are happy to highlight the innovative Public-Private Partnership between Spectee Inc., the Office of Civil Defense and the Department of the Interior and Local Government as another key milestone in the Philippines’ disaster management support system,” Director General Jose A. Torres Jr. said.
He added that the Philippines, like Japan, is also a disaster-prone country. Hence, the Philippine government is open to new methods in improving disaster preparedness, response and recovery in the country.
Pros and Cons
Spectee Chief Operating Officer Negoro Satoshi presented artificial intelligence’s capability to provide real-time monitoring. He highlighted the power of social media’s accessibility and speed in a sample social media content generated by local users in Japan and was analyzed swiftly.
As of presentation, over 100 Japanese government organizations, local governments and enforcement agencies as well as 90% of Japanese TV station utilize social media alert services.
He added, however, that there may be certain situations where it is difficult to find valuable data as well as a risk for fake news. But, Negoro then assured that the risk for fake news may be removed through several levels of fact checking.
Initial checking is conducted by AI, sentence and image analysis, before a proficient team performs secondary screening.
COO Negoro added that a version of the platform configured for the Philippines is set to launch in 2024. The country is seen as an ideal country to launch AI programs such as Spectee due to its comparable disaster profile to Japan. Morever, the significant number of its poulation are English proficient and digital natives who can supply vital information, among others.(GG/PIA)
