In a recent forum at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, an economist, a biologist, a political scientist and a physicist questioned whether the proposed US-led Pax Silica hub would bring meaningful industrial development to the Philippines, or leave it bearing the environmental and economic costs of another foreign-led venture. Before the Philippines builds...
Category: Technology
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Who can serve as companions to Lolo and Lola?
As more Filipinos grow older, families need to address an issue that falls somewhere between looking after a parent themselves and hiring professional caregivers. A newly launched Metro Manila companionship service offers a glimpse of the possibilities, and the questions that come with them. Maria Lourdes Malipol, 27, began caring for her mother, Eleanor, after...
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AI use is growing faster than Southeast Asia can keep pace with
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) across Southeast Asia is accelerating faster than governments, schools, and institutions can keep pace with, with 75% of students using AI in the Philippines, according to studies released by the Asean Foundation. “Across Asean, we are seeing AI use grow faster than our systems’ ability to guide it,” said Asean...
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When AI goes berserk, be prepared to die
On July 4, 2005, I died a violent death. Then, in 2018, I died again, this time of natural causes. In both cases, my obituaries were written. Yet here I am today, still alive but close to dying, a centenarian tycoon quietly admiring my art and watching my kids run the empire I built. How...
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When apps are gamified, workers rarely win
On a Thursday afternoon, just after the lunchtime rush, a pack of motorcycles pulled into a narrow alleyway in a Metro Manila city. Their riders parked their bikes in front of a makeshift rest area. The space resembled a typical “tambayan.” Equipped with a wall fan, and a water and a charging station, it was...
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Grab fares surge under opaque algorithm
Rica Torres, 37, used to take a Grab car almost every day to take her six-year-old son to and from school. The app-based service was more convenient than riding a jeepney, a tricycle, and crossing an overpass. “I don’t want my son to go through all those because it saps his energy or sours his...
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Pagbilao residents assured of free Wi-Fi access under partnership
PAGBILAO, Quezon—Local residents will soon have free access to the internet under a partnership forged between municipal officials and a leading provider of digital connectivity. A memorandum of agreement was signed last March 25 by key officials of Pagbilao, a first-class municipality of Quezon, and Integrated Digital Outdoor (IDo) Solutions at the municipal court. “Today...
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TIP alumni produce a therapy glove to benefit stroke survivors
Stroke, also known as “brain attack,” is among the leading causes of long-term disability and mortality worldwide. Anyone can be at risk of a stroke, although it mostly affects older adults. In the Philippines, stroke survivors may struggle to regain their vitality due to damage in their central nervous system, which generally leads to poor...
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Theft of millions of Filipinos’ personal data eroding public trust
The series of data breaches at government agencies has resulted in the theft of millions of Filipinos’ personal information not only once but twice or even thrice, in gross violation of their right to privacy. Understandably, the theft is causing Filipinos to lose trust in the offices that keep their personal data even as the...
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A meditation on technology and humanity
There is much talk these days about how artificial intelligence or AI could threaten human existence. AI is feared to achieve such a high degree of self-learning that it will surpass human intelligence and may consider us a threat and turn upon us. Really now? Certainly, the importance of AI in our lives is impossible...