Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Wednesday that artificial intelligence (AI) use will be permitted in public schools following the release of Department Order No. 003, series of 2026, known as the Foundational Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Basic Education. The directive aims to integrate AI as a supportive tool in both teaching and learning environments.
According to Philippines News Agency, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the ethical use of AI, stating that it will not be prohibited but rather used to augment educational processes. The guidelines released on February 20 permit all teaching and non-teaching personnel, as well as students, to explore new AI tools and methods as long as they adhere to ethical, pedagogical, and human-centered standards to ensure user safety.
AI is mandated to function strictly as an auxiliary tool rather than replacing the essential role of teachers. Human judgment is emphasized as paramount in all educational decisions in public schools. AI applications may be used to develop instructional materials, analyze data, check grammar, and verify citations in research and data gathering.
The guidelines classify AI applications for grading, admissions, scholarships, and disciplinary actions as "high-risk," requiring strict safeguards and human oversight. In contrast, AI applications involving interaction with learners and staff, such as chatbots for administrative queries and tools for spam filtering or grammar correction, are considered minimal risk.
DepEd Secretary Angara highlighted the need for responsible AI use by both students and teachers. He explained that students must disclose how they utilize AI to integrate it into their learning processes. Learners are required to submit outputs along with citations of AI tools used in brainstorming, writing, research, creating presentations, and completing homework.
Applications such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Grammarly, Quillbot, Canva, Tome, and Khanmigo are among the AI tools mentioned. The policy allows more independent learners greater autonomy in using these tools. However, AI applications posing significant risks to the rights, safety, and well-being of learners are prohibited, including those using biometric or emotion recognition, manipulative chatbots for minors, and untargeted facial recognition scraping.
DepEd emphasizes that AI tools should not replace human participation and decision-making, serve as sole data sources, or enable biometric emotion recognition that could compromise learner safety and privacy.
In January, DepEd launched Project AGAP.AI (Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy through Artificial Intelligence) to raise awareness and advance AI literacy for its integration into basic education. The initiative targets reaching at least 1.05 million learners, 300,000 teachers, and 150,000 parents nationwide through a funded AI skills training program in partnership with the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org.
