Philippine Defense Chief Issues Ban on AI-Powered Portrait Apps

In a move to bolster national security, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has issued a directive to all defense personnel and the 163,000-member military, forbidding the use of digital applications employing artificial intelligence (AI) to create personal portraits. This prohibition aims to mitigate potential security risks posed by these apps.

The order, disclosed in an October 14 memorandum, comes at a time when Philippine forces are actively engaged in efforts to quell long-standing communist and Muslim insurgencies and safeguard territorial interests in the contentious South China Sea.

The Department of National Defense has recently confirmed the authenticity of the memo, which has been circulating online in the past few days. However, it has not provided additional information regarding the motivation behind Teodoro's decision.

Particularly singled out in the memorandum is a specific digital application that demands users to submit a minimum of ten images of themselves. Subsequently, it leverages AI to craft a digital persona that imitates real human speech and movements. Defense Secretary Teodoro expressed concern over the "significant privacy and security risks" associated with these applications.

Teodoro emphasized that what might appear as a harmless and entertaining AI-driven tool could potentially be used maliciously to fabricate fraudulent profiles, leading to identity theft, social engineering, phishing attacks, and other harmful activities. He noted that an incident of such misuse had already been reported.

In response, Teodoro has instructed all defense personnel to "refrain from using AI photo generator applications" and to exercise caution when sharing information online. Furthermore, he emphasized that their actions should be consistent with the values and policies of the Philippines Defense Department.

This decision underlines the Philippines' commitment to maintaining the security and integrity of its defense personnel's personal information in an increasingly digital age.