- 100,000 Philippine women will acquire ability to identify cybersecurity threats by using an online platform to learn how to use Microsoft’s AI tools.
- This joint initiative may help address the problem of disinformation in the Philippines.
- Microsoft will also work with the Philippine education department to lauch an AI reading tools for students.
OUR TAKE
Microsoft has announced a training program for Philippine women in AI and cybersecurity. This plan, if put in place, will boost economic development, and enable the popularisation of science and computer topics among women and children.
— Tuna Tu, BTW Reporter
Learn skills and identify threat
Microsoft has said it will train 100,000 Philippine women in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The training plan was announced during a two-day trade mission led by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Women included in the program will use an online platform to learn how to use Microsoft’s AI tools, including those powered by OpenAI’s large language model, to gain workplace skills and be able to recognise cybersecurity threats.
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Improve economic efficiency and technical security
“We are very excited about the potential for the Philippines to use enhanced AI technology to drive economic development in a positive way,” Mary Snapp, a Microsoft official, said at the press conference, arguing that the joint initiative may be able to help the Philippines address the disinformation problem. Microsoft will also work with government departments and local schools to provide training for government employees. Rafaelita Aldaba, undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Trade, said in a statement that training can “help strengthen cybersecurity and trust in technology adoption.”
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Not only involve workplace
A 2022 World Bank study showed that nine out of 10 10-year-old students in the Philippines struggle to read simple text. In the initiative, Microsoft said it will also extend the partnership to education, providing AI reading progress tools to help 27 million Philippine students improve their reading skills.
