Coutinho seeks clear definition of rights and duties of robots amid fears of human replacement

[Photo: Renato Marques]

Lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho wants the government to quickly legislate on the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and establish clear legal definitions of what constitutes a robot, as well as its rights and duties under local law.

In a spoken inquiry delivered yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL), the lawmaker noted that under the current development, there is no longer space for the debate on “if” robots and automation replace people in some jobs, but “when” this will happen.

In light of such a forecast, the lawmaker wants the local government to act quickly and establish a series of laws and regulations to govern the matter “before the problem arises.”

“In Macau, the speed of transformation in the labor market – particularly in the gaming and tourism industries – far exceeds the pace at which reskilling policies are implemented. Let us bear in mind that AI is not a static technology because it evolves on a weekly or monthly basis. Any development plans that do not incorporate mechanisms for continuous review and updating in light of AI risk quickly becoming outdated and out of context, losing their practical usefulness even before they are fully implemented,” he said.

“In the immediate future, the greatest concerns relate to the potential replacement of human dealers with robotic dealers. The recent exhibition of ‘robot dealers’ at the Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) sparked significant fears among casino workers. The real possibility of adoption, driven by the cost savings these technologies offer, poses a direct threat to the tens of thousands of dealer jobs in Macau,” he added.

The lawmaker noted that the government’s main challenge will be striking a balance between inevitable technological modernization and protecting local employment, and also noted that the response to such a challenge must involve proactive public policies for workers’ reskilling, an in-depth legislative debate, and a clear strategy that places people at the center of the innovation process.

“Government must implement a comprehensive, multidimensional response plan to the challenge of AI, with a set of measures structured around four main pillars: quality education, specialized professional training, the creation of skilled jobs, and broad social dialogue,” he continued, remarking that, according to experts in the field, automation is not only expected to affect casino croupiers but many other professions such as hotel receptionists, administrative assistants, accountants, interpreters and translators, flight attendants, data analysts, and front-line workers in public and private services.

AL passes consumption tax and public housing shop rental bills on first reading

The Legislative Assembly (AL) passed two bills on their first reading yesterday, with unanimous votes in favor.

The first bill concerned amendments to the Consumption Tax Regulation, which, among other changes, streamlined procedures for traders’ payment of import taxes by establishing a pre-deposit or guarantee regime instead of the commonly used advance payment. This new system prevents companies from having large sums of funds on hold while products are ordered and en route to Macau, and facilitates the final tax payment based on the quantities actually shipped. It also includes administrative facilitation by eliminating the need to refund prepaid taxes.

The second bill concerned the Legal Framework for the Leasing and Assignment of Commercial Spaces in Public Housing Buildings, a framework that aims to facilitate the rental process of such commercial spaces and incentivize business owners to establish stores at the Public Housing Estates, namely those located in Zone A of the new landfills.

After being voted on in the first reading, the bill now advances for further discussion at the AL’s Standing Committees (Second and First, respectively) before being submitted to plenary for final voting and approval.