The Finance Ministry plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) for the registration and distribution of state welfare cards to ensure only people with low incomes receive them, says Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat.
The ministry is preparing a new round of card registration for this year, he said.
AI is expected to filter out those who do not qualify for the cards.
The AI filter is connected to state agencies' systems to check registrant information on a real-time basis, said Mr Santi.
To qualify for a card, an individual's bank savings cannot exceed 100,000 baht and their annual income must not be more than 100,000 baht.
He expects 14-15 million individuals to be eligible for the cards in this round, compared with 14.6 million last year.
The prolonged Covid-19 outbreak has adversely affected low-income earners, said Mr Santi.
He said for this round of welfare registration, those who previously failed to receive cards may now qualify if their savings fell to a level that made them eligible.
The state welfare card distribution is a key policy of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. All Thais aged 18 and older are eligible to receive the cards.
The benefits include a monthly payment of 300 baht if a person's annual income is under 30,000 baht, or a 200-baht monthly payment if annual income is between 30,000 baht and 100,000 baht.