In Photo: Webinar on Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Consumers Zoom Participants

VICTORIA, LAGUNA — Improvement of customer service, development of new products, facilitation of client services, content creation, boost personalization, and improvement of task efficiency are just some of the innovative and practical ways artificial intelligence is used in our daily life.

Specifically, “Generative AI” which is extensively used in many areas of business sounds more coherent on the surface combined with a human-like language, but coherence as we all know is not synonymous with intelligence. “Conversational AI” interacts and engages with costumers (consumers) in the form of virtual assistants and chat bots attending to bank, real estate, and educational transactions, conversing with clients and extracting information to validate its human client.

The global voice for consumers, Consumer International has chosen “Fair and Responsible AI for Consumers” as this year’s World Consumer Rights Day theme. The Department of Trade and Industry – Laguna Provincial Office through the Consumer Protection Division observed the year’s March 15 celebration through the conduct of a webinar of the same title. Director Christian Ted Tungohan spearheaded the opening emphasizing the importance of issues faced by consumers in the emergence of AI.

As the dominance of AI is rising day by day, using it for betterment of society and productive ways is important. Key information on AI describes it as dramatically changing the market place and generative AI will benefit the consumers when used in the right context, but evidence is likewise emerging of consumer harms in using the technology.

The threats it possesses, however, must be addressed and stakeholders take necessary actions to make AI a reliable and safer technology for the best interest of consumers. In a nutshell, consumers have a right to accurate, trustworthy and safe information. These rights should be respected when algorithms exploit personal consumer information that will drive purchasing decisions (TFTawingan, DTI-Laguna). ♦

Date of Release: 22 March 2024