Iloilo: The three-day national summit gathering educators, innovators, and industry leaders nationwide here starting Wednesday is eyeing to craft a national roadmap on artificial intelligence (AI) that is aligned with the country's higher education, with the help of the private sector.
According to Philippines News Agency, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Shirley Agrupis emphasized that embracing AI is no longer optional. "It is already in classrooms, laboratories, research, agriculture, and across sectors," she stated. Agrupis highlighted that for higher education institutions, integrating AI goes beyond a strategic goal; it is a mandate from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who believes in the enabling power of artificial intelligence.
The summit, titled 'CHED RAISE 2026: Responding through AI for Societal Empowerment,' serves as a strategic framework for operationalizing AI in the academe. Its goals include promoting responsible and ethical AI adoption across higher education, strengthening AI literacy and digital competency, enhancing collaboration through the Philippine Skills Framework, operationalizing the National AI Upskilling Roadmap, showcasing innovations addressing Sustainable Development Goals, and inspiring creative and values-based innovation.
CHED Regional Director for Western Visayas, Raul Muyong, noted that while there is no national policy, higher education institutions (HEIs) have their respective institutional policies on AI use. He mentioned that in Western Visayas, AI is already being integrated into curriculums, particularly in computer-related programs such as Information Technology, Information Science, and Computer Science. AI is also embedded in other programs, ensuring that students are more advanced in AI usage.
The three-day event includes breakout sessions and workshops for students, teachers, and school administrators. Additionally, an exhibit at the Iloilo Convention Center showcases various AI-related innovations from HEIs in other regions. Muyong added, "With the exhibits we have, they will be able to learn different initiatives being done by other regions."
This year's gathering is hosted by the Northern Iloilo State University, West Visayas State University, and CHED Western Visayas, under the theme 'Empowering Minds. Transforming Communities through Responsible and Inclusive AI.'
