The Bureau of Immigration said  yesterday that it is now exploring the use of artificial intelligence or its operations.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that immigration heads attended a biometrics conference in Montreal, Canada to benchmark technology trends for the Philippines.

The conference, dubbed the 18th Symposium on the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Traveller Identification Program and Joint International Criminal Police Organization Biometrics Forum, was attended by the BI Chief last 12–14 September to study and adopt global trends on immigration and border management.

Tansingco also attended a meeting with the Canada Border Services Agency and viewed the facilities at Vancouver International Airport.

In the said conference, the BI Chief said that he saw how AI can improve immigration processing by adding a layer of security.

Tansingco added that the AI technology can also be used to detect impostors and falsified documents even before they reach immigration counters.

He clarified that AI will not replace immigration officers but instead unburden them from manual processing to maximize the BI's manpower. These technological advancements, including the expansion of the BI's e-gates, will significantly improve the bureau's operations.