DOST-NAICRI launch deepens DepEd’s aim to properly integrate AI into basic education

MANILA, Philippines – The launch of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation (NAICRI) on Thursday, February 26, saw stakeholders from various national agencies discussing how to integrate or make artificial intelligence useful and relevant in the Philippine landscape.

For the Department of Education (DepEd), the launch of NAICRI as the country’s AI hub complements its ongoing reforms in workforce development, digital infrastructure, and responsible governance. Education Secretary Sonny Angara, in a press statement, said the DepEd wants Filipino students to be ready for a future where AI is common, while still making sure AI is used safely, fairly, and responsibly.

For the DepEd’s part, it was focusing on institutionalizing the integration of AI through three pillars: AI in education, education on AI, and AI for education systems. These pillars would focus on protecting learners and fostering human-centered innovation with assistance from artificial intelligence.

Among the DepEd’s key programs are Project TALINO (Tracking Adoption Locations and Infrastructure Network Operations), a digital mapping system which provides real-time insights into school needs to guide planning and resource allocations; Project DUNONG (Dashboard for Understanding NASH Outcomes and National Grade-generation), which automates the National Qualifying Examination for School Heads; and Project SALIKSEEK, which is a generative AI-powered quick-response tool that can lower the retrieval time for education data inquiries from days or weeks to a matter of seconds.

DepEd, in a bid to have guardrails for AI use in place, also issued the Foundational Guidelines on the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Basic Education. This would set up a national framework to further ethical, inclusive, and risk-proportionate AI use in schools.

These guidelines would adopt risk-basked classifications in accordance with global standards that would prohibit high-risk AI use. Such high-risk actions include manipulative chatbots for minors, biometric emotion recognition, and social scoring mechanisms.

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This push towards AI also necessitates requiring privacy impact assessments, the establishment of a DepEd AI Registry, as well as strict compliance with data privacy and child protection laws prior to any AI deployment.

“Education must be both protected and future-ready,” Angara said.

“We will harness AI to close learning gaps, strengthen governance, and empower teachers — but always with safeguards, transparency, and human oversight,” he added. – Rappler.com