The Philippine National Police (PNP) has tightened regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) among its personnel while warning the public against creating deceptive content involving police officers.

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said AI-generated deepfakes that falsely depict police personnel pose a serious threat to the organization’s integrity and public trust.

“Napaka-seryoso ng banta na ito dahil nakakasira ito sa integridad ng ating hanay. These deepfakes are designed to look and sound like us to manipulate public opinion. We won’t allow technology to be used as a tool to mock the uniform or deceive the people,” he said.

Nartatez clarified that AI use is not banned but is strictly regulated.

“While we encourage digital transformation, we should be mindful of the use of AI for ‘clout-chasing’ contents that could damage the image of the PNP as an organization,” he said.

He cited PNP Memorandum Circular No. 2024-077, which governs social media content creation by police personnel.

Under the policy, officers in uniform may only produce content related to official police activities and must be authorized by units under the Directorate for Police Community Relations.

Personnel not assigned to such units may create content outside official hours but are prohibited from wearing police uniforms or using equipment and facilities in their posts.

The memorandum also bans livestreaming or vlogging official events, police camps, and offices on personal accounts due to security concerns.

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) has also stepped up monitoring of online platforms following the circulation of AI-generated videos falsely depicting police officers.

“Our ACG is working 24/7 on cyber patrolling and deepfake analysis. Nakikipagtulungan din tayo sa mga social media platforms para sa mabilis na takedown ng mga fake videos. We will track the sources and charge them,” Nartatez said.

“Again, hindi natin ipinagbabawal ang paggamit ng teknolohiya pero strictly regulated ito. Ang paggamit ng uniporme sa mga vlogs or AI content for personal gain is a violation. Ang ating priority ay public service, hindi social media engagement,” he added.