Robots may soon be working in PH factories

Robots working in factories or assisting doctors in surgical procedures in hospitals may soon become a reality in the Philippines.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña recently announced that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) was exploring the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in its research and development (R&D) initiatives for the next five years.

“We would like to pursue new areas, not necessarily new in the global sense, but as far as local research and development is concerned, and that is in the field of AI and space technology,” Dela Peña said at the National Research and Development Conference two weeks ago.

The event, attended by various stakeholders, is a prelude to the creation of a harmonized national research and development agenda for science and technology for 2017 to 2022, which aims to unify all R&D project and initiatives within the Philippine Development Plan dubbed “Ambisyon Natin 2040.”

To roll out the plan of including AI in its future initiatives, the DOST has started engaging various R&D institutions in talks of developing a program on AI, said Raul Sabularse, deputy executive director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development.

DOST’s initial plan involves the use of artificial intelligence for the manufacturing industries to optimize mass production of goods in the country, Sabularse said.

“We are in the process of consulting experts and stakeholders to form a development program on AI. This is something not totally new but it is a promising field for our researchers,” he said.