Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero wants to punish anyone who misuses artificial intelligence (AI), especially in spreading false information, harming others, and promoting fraudulent investment schemes for personal gain.
Under his filed Senate Bill No. 782, or the Physical Identity Protection Act, anyone who generates, produces, or publishes any AI-generated content that uses the physical appearance or image of a person without their consent will be subject to criminal charges.
The senator added that if this is not addressed immediately, more individuals will fall victim to this type of fraud.
Escudero cited some of the victims, including politicians and big businessmen, who were allegedly promoting products or investments that were not legitimate, and he said their images were only used through AI without permission.
The proposal seeks to establish the following penalties:
– Imprisonment of 1 to 2 years or a fine not exceeding ₱200,000, or both, for anyone who creates, produces, or shares content that uses the physical appearance of a person without permission or legal basis
– Imprisonment of 2 to 4 years or a fine of ₱200,000 to ₱400,000, or both, if the purpose of the content is for financial gain.
– Imprisonment of 4 to 6 years or a fine of ₱400,000 to ₱600,000, or both, if the content is intended to deceive or commit a crime.
– Imprisonment of up to 12 years or a fine of ₱600,000 to ₱1 million, or both, if the content is used for profit and deception or crime.
– If the violator is a government official or employee, in addition to the maximum penalty, he or she shall be subject to lifelong disqualification from holding any government position.
Accordingly, there are also stated exceptions to the proposal, especially if the use of a person’s physical appearance is done with good intentions, such as for genuine reporting or documentation of issues of public interest.
