Bangkok: Dr. Alongkot Maneekas, MP for Nakhon Phanom Constituency 3 and Chairman of the House of Representatives' Committee on Communications, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy and Society, is advocating for the TH-AI Passport initiative, a transformative project aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into the agricultural sector. The project focuses on providing small-scale farmers with access to AI technology to reduce costs and harness big data for policy planning and national development.

According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Alongkot emphasized that the TH-AI Passport is not just a free AI handout, but a strategic tool designed to empower Thai citizens across various sectors, including economic, agricultural, and labor. He highlighted that while countries like Vietnam are making significant strides in AI investments, Thailand's progress is hindered by political conflicts. Dr. Alongkot stressed the importance of transparency, cautioning against it becoming a barrier to accessing essential future technologies. He further explained that the TH-AI Passport would allow farmers to utilize AI for tasks such as disease identification in crops and improving fertilizer application, thereby extending benefits beyond small businesses to farmers and laborers.

Mr. Preecha Sripradoo, a representative from the business sector, testified to AI's potential in cost reduction and revenue generation. His swimming pool business, once burdened by high development costs, now benefits from significantly reduced service costs and increased revenue, thanks to AI. The TH-AI Passport, priced at 27 baht per person, aims to make AI accessible to small businesses, offering a promising return on the 1.6 billion baht investment.

Rachadee Chuenpakdee, an entrepreneur from AQUILA STUDIO, views the project as crucial for enhancing the competitiveness of small businesses and startups lacking capital for AI acquisition. He suggests focusing on efficient cost management of government tokens post-project rather than merely comparing package prices.

Associate Professor Porntep Anusornnitisarn from Kasetsart University sees the project as a large-scale experiment in AI usage, providing valuable data on technology adoption in various business sectors. This data will assist the government in formulating policies for national development in the short, medium, and long term.