The Defense Secretary of the Philippines has directed all members of the defense team and the 163,000-strong military to avoid using digital apps that utilize artificial intelligence to create personal portraits. This is due to potential security concerns.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. issued the order in a Saturday memorandum, as Philippine forces have been working to weaken decades-old communist and Muslim insurgencies and defend territorial interests in the disputed South China Sea.

On Friday, the Department of National Defense verified the legitimacy of the memo that has been circulating online. However, they did not disclose any further information, such as the reason behind Teodoro’s decision to implement the ban.

Teodoro cautioned against utilizing a digital application that mandates the submission of a minimum of 10 personal photos and utilizes artificial intelligence to generate a virtual individual that imitates the speech and movements of a real person. He stated that these types of apps pose considerable hazards to privacy and security.

According to Teodoro, this seemingly innocent and entertaining application, powered by AI, has the potential to be used for malicious purposes such as creating fraudulent profiles. This can result in identity theft, social engineering, phishing attacks, and other harmful actions. A case involving this has already been reported.

Teodoro directed all members of the defense and military to avoid using AI photo generator apps and to be cautious when sharing information on the internet. He also emphasized the importance of following the values and policies of the Philippines Defense Department.