ILO chief sees AI as job opportunity, not threat

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Gilbert Houngbo, Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), considers Artificial Intelligence (AI) an employment opportunity rather than a threat. 

In a recent interview with CNN Philippines, Houngbo stressed that the danger lies in the lack of relevant skills, not the technology itself.

“Globally, I’m not worried that AI will make people unemployed if we are well prepared and if we have training and reskilling programs, we should benefit from it,” the ILO chief said.

“It’s critical for us to invest in the skills, develop the skills, not only the productivity but the whole total productivity that we can benefit from,” he added.

Houngbo also urged countries to review their policies, particularly in education, to prepare workers for the emerging demands of AI. He asserted that unemployment due to AI is avoidable with sufficient preparation and reskilling initiatives.

In the Philippines, requests to regulate AI in the workplace are under consideration. Senators Imee Marcos and Risa Hontiveros voiced concerns about the impact of AI on the country’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) industries. 

To prevent this, both senators called for protective measures against the increasing use of AI chatbots in the BPO sector.