MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is planning to release guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to promote candidates in the 2025 national and local elections.
According to Chairperson George Garcia, there are some positive and negative impacts in the use of AI during the campaign period.
“Hindi naman kabuoan ng AI ang masama. Marami din parte ng AI na napakaganda po,” Garcia said. “Ang AI nakakatulong para makakalap information, napadalang naman na nagamit sya sa kasamaan.”
He added: “’Yan po ang gusto nating alamin. Ano ‘yung parte ng AI na ginagamit sa halalan na dapat na i-regulate, na dapat i-prohibit kung meron man. At kung ma-prohibit, mare-regulate, may naba-violate ba tayong batas or karapatan? So yan po i-weigh–in natin.”
Garcia further said Comelec is hoping to release the guidelines on the second week of August.
Meanwhile, Garcia also said the poll body will monitor the participation of social media influencers during the campaign period.
The Comelec official said they would also like to regulate the dealings of online influencers, especially in helping those running for public positions and political parties.
“What shall we do with social media influencers, the content creators hired by candidates? That is where we want to establish some form of regulation by the Commission,” Garcia said.
The poll body chief also said they will be partnering with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to monitor the expenses of social media influencers who will be hired by candidates.
“During the campaign, these social media influencers get paid a huge sum but are not subjected to taxes. These influencers must be taxed,” Garcia said.
“Once you hire a celebrity or a known singer or a popular personality during the campaign, the payment must be reported to us,” he added./PN
