According to Philippine military ordered to stop using artificial intelligence apps due to security risks | The Star, all 163,000 military members and defense personnel in the Philippines have been told by the head of defense to abstain from using digital applications that use artificial intelligence to create personalized images because they might be dangerous for national security.
While Philippine military have been attempting to quell decades-old communist and Muslim insurgencies and preserve territorial interests in the disputed South China Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. gave the order in a letter dated October 14.
The document has been making the rounds online for the past several days, and the Department of National Defense verified its validity on October 20. However, it withheld other information, such as the reason behind Teodoro's restriction.
According to Philippine military ordered to stop using artificial intelligence apps due to security risks | The Star, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. particularly cautioned against using a digital program that asks users to upload ten or more photos of themselves before using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate a virtual person that resembles the speech and movements of a real person.
According to Teodoro, there is a criminal use of this seemingly benign and entertaining AI-powered tool to fabricate accounts that may be used for identity theft, social engineering, phishing scams, and other nefarious purposes. A report of one of these cases has already been published.
According to Philippine military ordered to stop using artificial intelligence apps due to security risks | The Star, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. issued directives to all military and defense personnel, advising them to follow the principles and guidelines of the Philippines Defense Department while sharing information online and to abstain from utilizing AI photo generating apps.
