BANGKOK — 1 September 2026, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said the government’s 1.6-billion-baht TH-AI Passport project does not offer good value for money, arguing that the funds could be better spent using artificial intelligence to reform government services.
Speaking at the Future Forward Building at 13:00, Natthaphong said he did not oppose efforts to improve public awareness and understanding of AI, but questioned the transparency of the project and how its budget was being spent.
He said that if the People’s Party were in government, the 1.6 billion baht could be invested more effectively to expand the practical use of AI in Thailand.
Natthaphong pointed to Singapore as an example, saying its government has focused not simply on competing to develop AI models or encouraging the public to use AI, but on applying the technology to reform government processes.
He said AI could be used to reduce costs, improve efficiency and make it easier for businesses to interact with government agencies.
“If we had the opportunity and authority to decide how to spend the 1.6 billion baht, I think it could be used much more effectively,” he said.
Asked about fellow People’s Party MP Rukchanok Srinok’s remark earlier in the day that the project was “worse than something free”, Natthaphong said he had tried the service himself, although not as extensively as some others.
He said the issue should not simply be whether the AI offered through the scheme performs better or worse than other services, because TH-AI Passport already relies on AI models supplied by commercial technology companies.
The project’s stated purpose, he said, is to encourage wider AI adoption and improve AI literacy among the public.
Natthaphong also raised concerns over reports from users that some prompts and generated responses appeared to be restricted when dealing with sensitive subjects.
He said some questions that the government-backed service would not answer could still be answered by commercially available services using the same underlying AI models.
He said this raised questions over whether TH-AI Passport had been configured in a way that could restrict users’ freedom to ask questions or express opinions.