Lawmakers Demand Thailand Scrap Flawed AI Passport Project
Opposition lawmakers are demanding Thailand cancel its 1.6-billion-baht TH-AI Passport project, citing security flaws, questionable cost-effectiveness, and concerns the AI model lacks capabilities of free tools like ChatGPT.
Opposition MP Kaladee Liaopairoat held a question-and-answer forum on July 20 at Parliament to examine the TH-AI Passport project, warning that it contains numerous security gaps and may fail to achieve its goals. She urged the state to cancel the initiative and reconsider spending 1.6 billion baht, citing concerns about cost-effectiveness, suspected corruption, and specification locking in procurement. "I do not want 1.6 billion baht to become an expensive lesson or wasted money from which Thailand gains nothing," Kaladee said, pledging to send a letter to Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiyakorn Chidchob to protect the nation's interests.
Thanchat Numnon, director of the IMC Institute, argued that while free AI models are effective, the TH-AI Passport's AI model should at minimum match the capabilities of free versions like ChatGPT. He highlighted that AI-Pass, the project's test model, cannot upload large files—a feature standard free tools provide—limiting its ability to help citizens upskill. Pichphen Prantheepawannich, founder of Bangkok AI Builder Hub, suggested the 1.6-billion-baht budget would be better invested in developing Thailand's broader AI capacity and local startups rather than providing free AI access with unclear success metrics.
