DOST partners with UNESCO for AI Literacy Training

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The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to conduct an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Training at the DOST Central Office, Bicutan, Taguig City on November 26-27, 2025.

The DOST has supported the previous implementation of the UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) in the Philippines. The findings of the assessment highlight that limited digital competencies within public institutions remain a significant barrier to fully leveraging the potential of AI.

In response to this, a capacity building activity was designed to enhance the AI literacy of civil servants. In the pilot two-day training, 18 DOST personnel coming from different DOST Central Office, DOST attached agencies, and regional office, were familiarized with the concept of AI, including the fundamentals, lifecycle, techniques, and types of AI. The participants from the Department came from diverse areas of work covering information technology, human resource development, STEM education, procurement, and planning and management.

This initiative is aligned with the DOST’s efforts especially in leading the development of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Philippines (NAIS-PH), which was approved by the President in May 2025.

“Current efforts are focused on building infrastructure, strengthening skills, advancing technologies, and shaping policies. At the center are five core strategies: infrastructure, workforce, innovation, ethics and policy, and deployment—all phased from 2024 to 2028,” said by DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. at the National Innovation Day held earlier this year.

The training was delivered by UNESCO’s AI Experts Without Borders (AIEB), Mr. Mark Bryan Manantan, who is also the Lead Expert and National Consultant for the implementation of the UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology in the Philippines, and Associate Professor (Dr.) Aini Suzana Ariffin, a a Fellow Expert at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIRO) and the Institut Sultan Iskandar, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

“AI is poised to reshape governance and public services. Civil servants are vital to this transition as decision-makers and users,” Mr. Manantan emphasizing the crucial need for the government officials and personnel to be better equipped to work with AI systems.

From the differences between predictive AI and generative AI where the former is focused more on data analytics tasks and analyzing existing data to predict future possibilities and the latter is utilized to create new outputs and identifying patterns within the dataset through unsupervised learning, the participants were also taught about the types and applications of predictive AI systems and the development process of generative AI systems. A key factor to consider, according to Mr. Manantan is the quality of data, that it must be accurate, relevant, representative (of the population about whom the system is going to make a determination), recent, and complete.

In the training, the resource persons also underscored that with the accelerating adoption of AI, due diligence must be observed, especially in procurement of AI systems. Risks, suitability, and necessity should always be kept in mind.

Dr. Ariffin delved deeper into the emerging AI governance landscape of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and where the Philippine stands in the region. ASEAN seeks to position itself as a global leader in AI launching strategic initiatives to accelerate digitalization and AI adoption such as the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025, ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, Expanded ASEAN Guide for Generative AI, and ASEAN Responsible AI Roadmap.

In reviewing the performance of ASEAN Member States, the Philippines is yet to catch up on Government AI Readiness Index ranking 6th in ASEAN which includes the government, technology sector, and data and infrastructure pillars. Nevertheless, with the ongoing development of NAIS-PH, the country projects stronger national commitment to AI implementation. As DOST Undersecretary Leah J. Buendia said in her welcome remarks at the training, “The DOST’s leadership in the development of the NAIS-PH is a testament of the Department’s dedication in advancing AI adoption and innovation in the country.”

Mr. Manantan and Dr. Ariffin discussed the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, focusing on the ethical principles. These are proportionality and do no harm, safety and security, right to privacy and data protection, multi-stakeholder and adaptive governance and collaboration, responsibility and accountability, transparency and explainability, human oversight and determination, sustainability, awareness and literacy, and fairness and non-discrimination. A second assessment tool of the Recommendation, the Ethical Impact Assessment, was also briefly introduced featuring the sets of questions indicated in the tool to better assess AI systems.

At the end of the training, the resource persons emphasized that for AI uptake in the country to be successful, continuous multi-stakeholder dialogues and consultations are vital. This would ensure that the strategies and mechanisms are fit for the different sectors.

FOR SOCIAL MEDIA CAPTION

The DOST partnered with UNESCO for an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Training at the DOST Central Office, Bicutan, Taguig City on November 26-27, 2025.

In the pilot two-day training, 18 DOST personnel coming from different DOST Central Office, DOST attached agencies, and regional office, were familiarized with the concept of AI, including the fundamentals, lifecycle, techniques, and types of AI. The participants from the Department came from diverse areas of work covering information technology, human resource development, STEM education, procurement, and planning and management.

The training was delivered by UNESCO’s AI Experts Without Borders (AIEB), Mr. Mark Bryan Manantan, who is also the Lead Expert and National Consultant for the implementation of the UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology in the Philippines, and Associate Professor (Dr.) Aini Suzana Ariffin, a a Fellow Expert at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIRO) and the Institut Sultan Iskandar, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

This initiative is aligned with the DOST’s efforts especially in leading the development of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Philippines (NAIS-PH), which was approved by the President in May 2025. (By Karen Lou M. Ayson)

Mr. Mark Bryan Manantan (R), national consultant for the implementation of the UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology in the Philippines with Dr. Aini Suzana Ariffin (L), also a member of the UNESCO’s AI Experts Without Borders

Dr. Ariffin discussing about the emerging AI landscape of ASEAN

The pre-recorded Welcome Remarks of Usec. Buendia being delivered

Ms. Undral Ganbaatar of UNESCO facilitates the open discussion of the key takeaways of the participants from the training

DOST-Caraga Regional Director Noel Ajoc discusses the DOST’s role in AI development in the country

Mr. Celestial from DOST Central Office shares his experience about procurement of AI tools in the Department

Ms. Binlayo from DOST-FNRI raises some questions about the use of AI tools

DOST personnel, UNESCO representatives, and the resource persons from the AI Experts Without Borders pose for a picture after the AI Literacy Training

Group photo of the DOST personnel, UNESCO representatives, and the resource persons from the AI Experts Without Borders at the first day of the AI Literacy Training