MANILA, PHILIPPINES, March 8, 2024

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Asia Society Philippines (“ASP”) teamed up with SPARK! Philippines, the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia, and Miriam College-Women and Gender Institute (“WAGI”) to present #WOMEN2024: Women, Politics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), an event that convened women’s rights advocates and tech experts to discuss the intersection of women, politics, and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (“AI”).

#Women2024: Women, Politics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) featured talks from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa; Dr Dominic Ligot, the founder and director of Data Ethics PH; Stephanie Lagasca, the training head of Connected Women; Hon. Krystle Marie Bacani, 4th District Councilor of Manila and staunch women’s rights advocate; Gian Dela Rama, the Chief Product Officer and Head of Sprout A.I. Labs; and Lei Motilla, the Co-Founder and Social Innovation Lead of AI4Gov.

The program opened with remarks from Dr. Trixie Marie Sison, Miriam College's Vice President for Academic Affairs, followed by a message from French Ambassador Her Excellency Marie Fontanel; setting the tone for the entire discussion about AI and its impact on gender equality. Amb. Fontanel expressed her hope that the discussion will help unpack the questions on the implications of AI and gender equality.

Maria Ressa set the context with her keynote speech, warning about the pitfalls of AI, and emphasizing what we must demand from big tech companies; stop surveillance for profit, stop coded biases, and use journalism as an antidote to tyranny: “Our search for meaning is individual, learning to write and think is individual, don't give up your path to meaning and outsource it to the machine.” To further emphasize the implications of AI, Dr Dominic Ligot noted that AI is only fed from coded information and data; as such, AI will only be able to reason based on the data fed to it—be it correct or incorrect data. Dr Ligot warned of the threats to creativity and knowledge acquisition (eg the potential for copyright infringement, cheating in schools, and the manufacture of misinformation, etc). And of course, there is the ever-looming prospect that AI poses a threat to the future of jobs.

Despite these concerns, there remain reasons to be optimistic. Stephanie Lagasca shared that, in their experience at Connected Women, AI helped generate career opportunities for Filipino women working at home or in far-flung areas of the country, promoting inclusivity and empowerment. In addition, Lei Motilla reaffirmed the significance of utilizing AI as a vehicle for change and in finding solutions, working with civil society, and by fostering participatory governance. Moreover, AI enables people to improve their time efficiency and tactics for constructively contributing to society as a whole. Gian Dela Rama expounded, “AI has the potential to automate tasks, particularly voluminous repetitive tasks, but by embracing the fair and accountable use of AI, we have the potential to reclaim time. Time we can use to better humans.”

We can create more inclusive and effective solutions by recognizing and leveraging the tremendous insights and abilities that women can bring to the AI field. One of the panelists, Hon. Krystle Marie Bacani, elaborated on how AI revolutionizes industries, while warning that, with its built-in and coded biases, it may inadvertently perpetuate gender inequality. She stressed the importance of women being at the forefront of this technological revolution, not just as consumers but as innovators and leaders: “To the women out there, your perspective is valuable in shaping an inclusive AI—let’s not shy away from AI, let’s embrace it, shape it and use it as a tool for positive change.”

Closing the event, SPARK! Philippines Trustee and Treasurer Ma. Aurora “Boots” Geotina-Garcia shared her thoughts on how the event emphasized the importance of investing in women—amplifying women’s representation and nurturing active participation. Women empowerment is multi-faceted; it transcends to sustainable and inclusive growth. “Let us continue the power of AI as a tool to elevate women’s voices and amplify perspectives and effect positive change” she noted.