"Phawut" exposes irregularities in the 1.6 billion baht “TH AI Passport” project, revealing suspicious rushed completion and locked Terms of Reference, while "Chaiyachonok" fiercely denies and insists every step is transparent and above board.
On 28 May 2026, during a House of Representatives session, a heated confrontation occurred over the transparency of a government project. MP Phawut Pongwitthayaphanu of the People’s Party raised a live oral question to Minister Chaiyachonok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DES), regarding irregularities in the Thailand AI Passport (TH AI Passport) project, designed for 5 million citizens with a budget of 1.621 billion baht, funded under the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund (DES Fund).
MP Phawut exposed data pointing to irregularities in the project, stating it was initiated, proposed, and approved solely by the DES Fund, using leftover fund money to allocate 300 baht per AI user without reflecting the country’s actual needs. He highlighted four "coincidences" suggesting severe policy-level corruption. Normally, a billion-baht project undergoes 3-6 months of study, but this project rushed bidding and document submission within 34 days, implying insider knowledge.
Phawut further stated that the project mandated advertising via digital screens in 1,500 convenience store branches, a media right controlled by a single media conglomerate in Thailand. The winning bidder was a joint venture owning those advertising rights. The same group also set the benchmark prices and submitted bids among themselves, narrowly winning. Additionally, this conglomerate consists of three companies involved in setting benchmark prices for major projects in the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Education worth over 10 billion baht, and they also won the Buriram MotoGP contract, reflecting close ties to the Bhumjaithai Party’s affiliated capital.
Minister Chaiyachonok Chidchob of DES responded by refuting the allegations, explaining the urgency due to Thailand’s aging society and declining workforce, necessitating rapid AI technology adoption to boost national productivity. He clarified that funds were drawn from the DES Fund because the Anutin 1 government took office on 1 October 2025, missing the annual budget cycle, thus legally utilizing fund mechanisms under sections 23 and 26 of the DES Act.
Chaiyachonok emphasized that the TH AI Passport project is not about giving away advanced AI codes for free without benefit, but focuses on building an AI ecosystem and promoting AI literacy via a "Learn to Earn" model. Participants must complete courses to develop AI prompting skills, created in collaboration with leading global tech companies, and receive official certificates to elevate Thai workers to above global standards.
Regarding the 5 million access rights, Chaiyachonok explained this figure is based on current AI access rates of 10.67% among Thai people. Adding 5 million users would boost this to 22-23%, comparable to Vietnam. On accusations of favoritism and opaque procurement, both the Prime Minister and he affirmed all steps were fair, transparent, verifiable, and not rigged to benefit any political group.
Addressing the claim that procurement took only 34 days, Chaiyachonok clarified this is false. The project was officially announced on 17 November 2025, with a public hearing on the draft TOR held between 15-22 December 2025. The TOR document is 33 pages long, with only 2 pages concerning advertising. The 34 days cited by opposition refers only to the proposal submission window. Overall, the process took five months, conducted via e-bidding and fully compliant with the law.
Chaiyachonok added that technology is the backbone of the country and that progress has been slow. The Anutin 1 government previously gave Google Gemini free to youths aged 18-23. The TH AI Passport project builds on that to reduce inequality. He rebutted claims of direct purchases from foreign parent companies like OpenAI, stating legal restrictions prevent this, and that Singapore did not make such direct purchases as alleged by opposition.
"Claims that Singapore made direct purchases are false. If subscription-based direct purchases occurred, Thai user data would be processed abroad, hindering the development of Thailand’s IT ecosystem. Singapore spends over 27 billion baht, about 700 baht per person per month, while Thailand spends only 27 baht per person monthly with a learning model that is 20 times cheaper. My duty is to manage policy for the best value of public funds. Who wins bids is not my concern. If gaps exist, complaints can be filed through proper channels," Chaiyachonok stated.
MP Phawut countered that although the promotional section is only two pages, it clearly locks specifications to favor the existing network of vested companies. He questioned whether 5 million Thai users really need top AI versions, suggesting the 1.5 billion baht budget could be better spent on a token-based system paying per actual use, costing only 100-200 million baht initially, with top-ups if usage increases. He criticized the billion-baht budget as wasted on middlemen without granting Thailand rights to host research labs like other countries.
"If the minister says who gets the contracts is not his concern and he only delivers policy, does that mean if corruption or fraud occurs, he will ignore it? Refusing to address the issue of the same vested network winning contracts is shirking ministerial duty to protect rightful public interests," Phawut said.
At the session’s end, the People’s Party proposed the government delay registration for the project next month to allow the Office of the Auditor General or the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the bidding and specification locking thoroughly, aiming to clarify conflicts of interest before public eyes. However, the ministerial side insisted agencies are ready to prove transparency if evidence arises and affirmed continuing the project for the benefit of Thai workers.