- The Thai Ministry of Digital Economy and Society is preparing Phase 2 of the “TH-AI Passport” project, worth 900 million baht (approx. $24.5 million).
- The project aims to train an additional 5 million Thais in AI skills by fiscal year 2027.
- Phase 1 cost 1.6 billion baht (~$43.6 million) to purchase 12 AI models for 5 million users over one year.
- The primary targets are students over 15 years old and early-career workers.
- The Ministry stated that bulk purchasing helped reduce the cost from 700 baht to 27 baht per person per month.
- The opposition has questioned the transparency, spending efficiency, and data privacy risks of the project.
- The government asserts that the tender selection was based on a criteria of 80% technical and 20% price.
📌 The TH-AI Passport project demonstrates Thailand’s ambition for large-scale AI popularization despite controversies. With a total budget of approximately 2.5 billion baht for two phases, the government expects 5 million people to access premium AI models at a low cost. However, skepticism regarding bidding, privacy, and actual value remains a significant pressure.
