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MP Questions 1.6 Billion TH-AI Passport Budget

MP Questions 1.6 Billion TH-AI Passport Budget

Prachachat•Politics•11d ago

Reader Briefing

Thai MPs raise serious concerns over a 1.6 billion baht 'TH-AI Passport' project's transparency and value for money, alleging potential bid-rigging and excessive spending.

  • •Members of Parliament from the P_CH_N Party have questioned the significant 1.6 billion baht budget allocated for the 'TH-AI Passport' project.
  • •Concerns include the project's AI capabilities being outdated, potential for inflated costs, and a lack of transparency in its funding mechanism.
  • •Allegations of bid-rigging and conflicts of interest have been raised, suggesting the project may benefit specific contractors unfairly.

Overview

  • •The 'TH-AI Passport' project, under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES), has a budget exceeding 1.6 billion baht.
  • •The project aims to provide premium AI tools from leading developers for public use, funded from the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund (DE Fund).
  • •An MP from P_CH_N questioned the project's high budget compared to similar initiatives by other agencies that used only millions of baht.
  • •An MP found the project's AI chatbot technology comparable to that of two years ago, lacking advanced features and performing worse than current free AI.
  • •The OKMD (Office of Knowledge Management and Development) reportedly implemented a similar AI system for only 2.4 million baht.
  • •For the 'TH-AI Passport' project, processing costs (Tokens) are estimated at only over 300 million baht annually, leaving a potential profit margin of 1.119 billion baht for the winning bidder after deducting the 1.5 billion baht AI budget.
  • •The funding originates from the DE Fund, which garners revenue from the NBTC, placing it outside the regular parliamentary budget review process.
  • •The DE Minister holds a de facto dual role as Deputy Chairman of the DE Fund, leading to accusations of 'self-serving' fund allocation.

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Source: Prachachat (Original)

Key Quotes

Isariya Payeeryaparp
"The source of this billion-plus budget is from the ‘Digital Economy and Society Development Fund (DE Fund)’, drawing revenue from NBTC, making it off-budget and not requiring parliamentary review."
ที่มาของงบประมาณพันกว่าล้านนี้…เป็นเงินจาก “กองทุนพัฒนาดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม (DE Fund)” ซึ่งดึงรายได้มาจาก กสทช. ทำให้ถือเป็นเงินนอกงบประมาณและไม่ต้องผ่านการตรวจสอบจากรัฐสภา
Isariya Payeeryaparp
"What creates the 'self-serving' controversy is that the DE Ministry submitted the request for funds from this fund, while the DE Minister also holds the position of Deputy Chairman of the fund’s board by virtue of his office."
สิ่งที่เกิดเป็นข้อครหา “ชงเองกินเอง” คือ กระทรวงดีอี เป็นผู้ยื่นเรื่องขออนุมัติเงินจากกองทุนนี้ ในขณะที่รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงดีอี เองก็มีตำแหน่งนั่งเป็นรองประธานบอร์ดของกองทุนนี้โดยตำแหน่ง
Phawaphol Pongvittayapanu
"The said system is merely a regular AI Chatbot, comparable to technology from two years ago, lacking advanced features like Deep Research or video creation."
ระบบดังกล่าวเป็นเพียง AI Chatbot ธรรมดาที่มีความสามารถเทียบเท่ากับเทคโนโลยีเมื่อ 2 ปีก่อน ซึ่งไม่มีฟีเจอร์ระดับสูงอย่าง Deep Research หรือการสร้างวิดีโอ

Key Entities

Organization

MP of P_CH_N(สส.ปชน.)
Political party raising concerns about the 'TH-AI Passport' project.
National Digital Economy and Society Commission (NDESC)(สำนักงานคณะกรรมการดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคมแห่งชาติ (สดช.))
Government agency responsible for the 'TH-AI Passport' project.
Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES)(กระทรวงดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม (DES))
Government ministry overseeing the digital economy and society initiatives, including the 'TH-AI Passport' project.
People's Party(พรรคประชาชน)
Political party whose MPs have raised questions about the 'TH-AI Passport' project.
OKMD
Office of Knowledge Management and Development, an organization cited for implementing a similar AI project with a significantly lower budget.
Digital Economy and Society Development Fund (DE Fund)(กองทุนพัฒนาดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม (DE Fund))
Fund used to finance the 'TH-AI Passport' project, drawing revenue from the NBTC and operating outside parliamentary review.
NBTC(กสทช.)
National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, which contributes revenue to the DE Fund.

Person

Isariya Payeeryaparp(นายอิสริยะ ไพรีพ่ายฤทธิ์)
Member of Parliament (MP) who voiced concerns regarding the 'TH-AI Passport' project's budget and transparency.
Phawaphol Pongvittayapanu(นายภาวุธ พงษ์วิทยภานุ)
Member of Parliament (MP) who analyzed the technical specifications and cost of the 'TH-AI Passport' project.