By Brian Campued
In the sixth episode of the “BBM Podcast”, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sat down with students from the West Visayas State University (WVSU) – College of Law, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), and University of the East (UE) – Manila to discuss the use of artificial intelligence and cyberbullying.
During the first part of the podcast, which aired on Tuesday, psychology student Kathleen Millonte from UE shared her concerns on AI being a threat to students as well as working professionals, asking the President if there would be regulations on the use of AI in the Philippines.
Marcos said the government is studying how the country would effectively harness the full potential and benefits of AI in various fields, including education, infrastructure, and renewable energy—which the President said he wanted to discuss during the 2025 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
“Walang katapusan ‘yung listahan. The more time you spend on it, the longer that list will become—because it’s going to touch everything,” he said.
The President likewise recognized that it would be difficult to craft laws regulating artificial AI in the country, as many legislators “do not immediately understand technology.”
“So what will you legislate? What’s the best way for the Philippines to take full advantage, to maximize the use of AI? The other side of the equation is, what are the things na kailangang bantayan natin, ‘yung mga fake news, misinformation, disinformation, et cetera et cetera,” he emphasized.
Marcos also jokingly talked about how AI, such as ChatGPT, could have been of great help to students in his time, especially in writing essays.
“I was already a geek before the word ‘geek’ was invented. I was one of those people who just [want to] pick up all this information,” the President told Janine Lagbawan, a journalism student from PUP.
Meanwhile, the discussion delved into cyberbullying, with law student AJ Gaan from WVSU noting the prevalence of “cancel culture” in the current generation as well as putting people in public scrutiny, especially on social media.
“One single mistake and all the things na nagawa mong maganda would be—matatabunan na po siya ng isang problema na nagawa mo, which would greatly affect one’s mental health,” Gaan told the President.
Marcos also agreed to Millonte’s suggestion of raising awareness on proper online etiquette (netiquette), as Filipinos are “one of the greatest users of the internet.”
“That’s the only conclusion I can arrive at. Iyan ang buong buhay ng kung sinuman iyan. Basta’s ‘yung buong buhay niya is ‘yung online. So, what goes online, that’s the only thing that’s important—not what goes on in real life.”
-av
