TH-AI Passport project faces scrutiny over fast approval and alleged tailored specs

The People’s Party has raised a parliamentary question over the transparency of the TH-AI Passport project, citing several alleged irregularities, including unusually rapid approval and procurement specifications that may have been tailored to benefit private firms.

Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, a party-list MP for the People’s Party, raised the issue during a House of Representatives meeting on Thursday (May 28).

The Thailand AI Passport project, overseen by the National Board of Digital Economy and Society, is worth more than 1.6 billion baht. It aims to provide professional-level artificial intelligence (AI) access rights to five million members of the public.

Concerns raised over rushed approval and alleged conflicts of interest

Pawoot questioned what he described as an unusually rushed process, saying the project had been approved faster than any other project in the history of the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund.

He also pointed to alleged irregularities involving the consortium that won the bid, saying it was the same group that had helped set the reference price from the beginning. The winning bid was only 1.5% lower than the reference price, he noted.

Pawoot further claimed that the consortium had links to business groups close to a political party and had previously secured other projects under ministries supervised by the Bhumjaithai Party. He said this raised concerns over possible conflicts of interest in the budget proposal process.

The People’s Party has therefore called for registration, scheduled to open on June 5, 2026, to be postponed until the State Audit Office (SAO) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) are able to examine the project’s transparency.

Pawoot cites four ‘suspicious coincidences’ in TH-AI Passport project

Pawoot said there were four questionable coincidences surrounding the TH-AI Passport project.

First, he said the companies involved in setting the reference price also took part in the bidding process and ultimately won the contract.

Second, he said the terms of reference (TOR) appeared to contain conditions that may have amounted to tailored specifications, particularly by favouring publicity through display screens in convenience stores.

Third, he pointed to links with procurement projects under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI). He said three companies involved in setting reference prices for ministry projects were found to be part of the same group involved in the TH-AI Passport project.

Fourth, he said the consortium selected for this project was also the same group that had won a contract related to the MotoGP world motorcycle racing championship.

Digital minister insists project followed the law

Chaichanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, rejected the allegations and said the project had fully complied with the law through the electronic bidding, or e-bidding, system, which he described as an open and fair competitive process.

He said the process began on July 17, 2025, with a public hearing on the draft TOR held in December. The entire process therefore took more than five months, not 34 days as alleged, he said.

Chaichanok said the project was created in response to an urgent need, as Thailand’s AI access rate stands at only 10.7%, lower than neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Vietnam.

He added that procurement through an intermediary in Thailand was designed to protect the country’s data sovereignty and prevent citizens’ data from being processed overseas.

According to the minister, the project costs an average of just 27 baht per person per month, which he said was worthwhile, transparent and open to scrutiny at every stage.

What is TH-AI Passport?

TH-AI Passport is designed as a national “central platform” to distribute access to premium generative AI tools to Thai people.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has procured 12 leading AI models, including tools developed in collaboration with major global tech companies, and brought them together on a single platform. The aim is to enhance people’s capabilities and reduce inequality in access to technology.

The project has been fast-tracked under the government’s AI Transformation policy. It aims to provide free one-year access to 12 world-leading premium generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT Plus, Gemini Advanced and Claude Pro, for up to five million Thai people aged 15 and above.

The scheme mainly targets first-jobbers, students and workers who need to upskill and improve their capabilities.

It will also be offered alongside upskilling courses under the “Learn to Earn” concept, which focuses on learning that can be applied to career development and real income generation.

Registration is scheduled to open on June 5, 2026.