MP Questions TH-AI Passport Project Over Transparency Concerns

On July 16, 2025, at Parliament, Ratchanok Srinok, a Pheu Thai list MP and chair of the House committee on budget oversight, raised new concerns about the TH-AI Passport project during a committee meeting. The committee had expected the project to be registered on July 15 but found it had not been, prompting questions about contract amendments and cost calculations. Srinok pointed out that company representatives had misrepresented the true value of key components: while claiming a display unit cost only 900,000 baht, actual business calculations suggest the component should be valued at 9 million baht, not 900,000 baht. The Digital Economy and Society Minister (DE) was invited to clarify but sent word he was abroad, marking the third time the committee has not received cooperation from the minister. Despite the delayed registration, the platform has already been made available to tech influencers and interested parties. Srinok stressed that while the project's features may seem reasonable and providing free AI to citizens has merit, the committee is concerned about locked-in specifications and the fact that the company executed the project before a proper terms of reference existed. The committee is also investigating irregularities in a separate national digital learning platform (NDLP) project, which employed nearly 500 consultants but produced only about 5,000 pieces of content. When asked about the government's stance, Srinok said the committee's ultimate goal is to cancel the project, but realistically hopes to maximize its value. She questioned whether the delayed registration reflects poor initial planning or intentional obfuscation, asking whether the project would simply proceed without scrutiny if not for media attention.