Thailand's top digital services company unveiled a charter for its use of artificial intelligence (AI) in an ethical manner, acknowledging the beneficial possibilities and the dangers associated with the groundbreaking technology.

"As AI keeps getting better and better at performing a range of tasks, we also need to ensure AI also gets better and better at performing these tasks ethically and safely," said Sharad Mehrotra, deputy CEO of True Corporation. "We believe an integrated approach that considers technology, people and ethics is critical for Thailand to harness the power of AI."

True Corporation is a communications conglomerate owned by Thailand's CP Group and Norway's Telenor. The firm is the largest internet services and cable television provider in the Kingdom, and it has been investing heavily in digital startups and new technologies.

Of the new technologies True has been introducing to Thailand, few are the source of as much interest and fear as AI. Concerns over its misuse, misapplication and its potential to eliminate jobs have some in government and the private sector calling for tight regulation of the technology's use.

"Artificial intelligence has significant potential to boost productivity and social improvement in Thailand. However, developing and deploying AI systems carelessly may also cause harm," said Assistant Professor Jittat Fakcharoenphol, vice-chair of Kasetsart University's Computer Engineering Department.

True's AI charter contains four principles for ethical usage:

• Good intent: AI should only be used to benefit humans.
• Fairness and bias mitigation: AI should not discriminate.
• Data privacy and AI functionality: Full respect for customer data and the law.
• Transparency: AI decisions should be explainable.

The company is already using AI in many of its customer service interfaces and its call centers. True also employs AI to predict traffic on its systems, enabling it to turn off equipment during low-usage times, producing energy savings of 10 to 15 percent.

Photo courtesy of https://trueblog.dtac.co.th/blog/en/ai-gets-good-2/