MANILA -- The Philippines is gearing to be a premier destination for artificial intelligence-driven innovation and investments with the establishment of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR), the Department of Trade and Industry announced on Wednesday.

CAIR will be the first AI hub in the country seen to play a pivotal role in leveraging AI technology to address industrial challenges, boost economic growth, and promote inclusive development. 

Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual envisions CAIR to be a Center of Excellence in AI research and development to be applied in industries such as manufacturing, ITBPM, agriculture, urban planning, disaster resilience, and healthcare.

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The DTI was given an additional P350.5 million in its 2024 budget to fund CAIR. 

Pascual eventually expects CAIR generate revenue by entering into research contracts with private companies and other users of AI. 

“Part of the allocation, doon tayo kukuha ng initial funds to pay for the operation. Personnel services, for example,” Pascual said. 

“Eventually, we foresee the Center for AI Research self-sustaining because it will do partnerships in the industry. at some point it will be revenue generating and hopefully the revenues will cover the future expenses  so that we can minimize the subsidy required from the government,” he added. 

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The center's initial research will focus on helping the business sector cope with AI advancements and their impact on employment. 

CAIR will also serve as a training institute for upskilling of the workforce with AI skills. 

"May disruptive effect definitely, kaya we need the Center for AI Research to determine how to respond….Meron nang machine learning and AI itself can generate content but you still need people to do the development of cases. Paano pa i-apply ang AI sa agriculture or sa healthcare?"

"You need human experts to do that job," Pascual said.