Thailand’s AI Passport questioned over real economic value

Thailand’s 1.6-billion-baht TH-AI Passport project is facing a critical test over whether it can move the country beyond simply expanding AI access and towards building genuine AI literacy among the public.

The project, led by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, is designed to give 5 million people free access to professional-level AI tools for one year under the “Learn to Earn” concept.

The government has presented the scheme as a way to upgrade digital skills and open new income opportunities in the AI era.

However, Assoc Prof Dr Aat Pisanwanich, an independent academic and specialist in international economics and Asean affairs, argues that the key issue is not whether the project amounts to “free AI” handouts, but whether Thailand can turn wider access into real national competitiveness.

In practice, the TH-AI Passport will use state funding to subsidise access to pro-level AI tools so that users do not have to pay for them directly.

This has led to criticism that the project may be seen as an “AI handout” or a form of “AI populism”, even though the government insists it is an investment in human capital and workforce development for the digital economy.

The debate comes as Thailand continues to lag behind several Asean peers in AI readiness.

According to an assessment cited by Aat, which measures economic value creation from AI, business adoption, and readiness in policy, infrastructure and human resources, Thailand scores 6.53 points, placing it fifth in Asean.

Singapore leads the region with 9.47 points, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam at 7.37 points each, and Indonesia at 6.87 points.

Aat said the real gap between Thailand and Singapore lies not in the number of AI users, but in the depth of people’s ability to use the technology productively and critically.

He divided AI development into three levels: AI Usage, or the ability to use AI tools; AI Skills, or the ability to apply AI to improve work efficiency; and AI Literacy, or the ability to understand, evaluate and verify AI-generated information and outputs.

By this measure, Thailand is still grouped at the AI Usage level alongside Indonesia and the Philippines.

Malaysia and Vietnam are seen as having reached the AI Skills level, while Singapore is the only Asean country assessed as having advanced to AI Literacy.

Aat said this distinction matters because AI literacy is not just about knowing how to operate a tool.

It also involves the ability to analyse AI output, check its accuracy, understand its limitations and use it responsibly to create economic value.

He warned that Thailand’s education system has yet to produce learners with genuine AI literacy when compared with countries such as Singapore and Vietnam.

The TH-AI Passport, he said, appears to focus more on increasing the number of AI users than on building deeper understanding of the technology.

The contrast with Singapore’s SkillsFuture programme is clear.

Singapore has focused on upskilling and reskilling workers so they can use AI to improve productivity, adapt to the new economy and strengthen their employability.

The approach treats AI as a tool to enhance human potential rather than replace people.

Participants in SkillsFuture are required to take structured courses, undergo AI readiness assessments and connect their training directly with employment.

By contrast, the TH-AI Passport focuses on broad access, reducing digital inequality and encouraging AI use in daily life, education and work.

In simple terms, Aat said, Singapore is developing people so they can use AI to secure better work, while Thailand is trying to help more people gain access and start using AI. The two goals are significantly different.

He proposed five ways to improve the TH-AI Passport scheme:

• upgrade the focus from AI usage to AI literacy;
• link free AI access with learning or skills assessment;
• set clear key performance indicators before and after participation;
• impose conditions instead of offering the service entirely free, with clear target groups;
• and work more closely with the education sector and private companies.

His most important proposal is for the government to review whether the 1.6-billion-baht budget would deliver greater value if used to develop national AI tools that help Thai entrepreneurs increase domestic and overseas sales, or identify new market opportunities.

Aat said future AI competition would not be measured by how many people could simply click and use AI tools, but by how many could apply AI with judgement, create economic value and raise national competitiveness.

That, he warned, remains a major challenge if Thailand does not want to fall further behind regional leaders such as Singapore.