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Most people know me as a public servant or an entrepreneur. And modesty aside, I would like to think that I have been successful in both roles. I served our country for 21 years as a legislator; leading both houses of Congress as speaker and senate president. As an entrepreneur, I presided over a real estate enterprise that has become one of the leading integrated property developers in the Philippines and the largest homebuilder in the country overall.

We were warned about it. Experts, security analysts, scientists, and movies told us that artificial intelligence (AI), with all its promises and advantages, carry with it existential peril. In an interview with the BBC, the great Professor Stephen Hawking stated boldly: “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” Movies like The Matrix, Terminator, Blade Runner and AI: Artificial Intelligence had shown us the potential dangers and misuse of AI.

The recent political rigodón in the Senate brought back memories from my time as a legislator. As my readers probably know, beginning 1992 I was a member of the House of Representatives, later on becoming its speaker. I was also fortunate to have been given the mandate to serve two consecutive terms as senator of the Republic, and become its president from 2006 to 2008.