The Philippine Defense Secretary, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., issued an official memorandum on October 14, instructing all defense personnel, including the 163,000-member military, to avoid using AI-powered applications that create personal portraits. This decision was prompted by potential security risks
The Department of National Defense has verified the authenticity of the memo, which has recently circulated online. However, the exact reasons behind this prohibition were not disclosed. In his directive, Teodoro singled out a particular app that employs AI to generate lifelike digital personas based on user-submitted photos. He emphasized that such apps carry substantial privacy and security threats, citing a previous incident as evidence.
Teodoro stressed that seemingly harmless AI applications could be exploited for identity theft, social engineering, phishing attacks, and other malicious activities. As a result, he ordered all defense and military personnel to refrain from using AI photo generator apps and urged them to exercise caution when sharing information online. He also emphasized the importance of aligning their actions with the values and policies of the Philippines Defense Department.
(Source: Associated Press)
