The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is targeting the upskilling of at least one million Filipinos in artificial intelligence, part of an effort to strengthen the country’s AI workforce and accelerate AI adoption across industries.
DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said that workforce development is one of four pillars in the government’s AI strategy, alongside computing infrastructure, partnerships, and beneficiaries such as the public and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). He compared the national AI ecosystem to a factory built on these four components.
For the workforce pillar, DOST is coordinating with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and private sector partners to expand AI education and training. The upskilling program is intended to reach workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as well as employees in government agencies that are beginning to integrate AI into their operations.
Separately, DOST is working to expand the country’s pool of advanced AI professionals. The department is supporting master’s and doctoral studies aimed at producing more engineers, scientists, and researchers capable of developing advanced AI technologies, with a target of around 1,000 highly skilled AI specialists under this component. Solidum noted that AI expertise spans multiple levels and that advanced academic credentials are not a requirement for all AI-related work.
Asked whether the Philippines is producing enough AI researchers, engineers, and specialists to support large-scale initiatives such as the proposed Pax Silica AI ecosystem, Solidum declined to comment on the project itself, citing ongoing negotiations.
“I’m not focused on the Pax Silica because we don’t have the details of what it plans to do. It’s still being negotiated, so I would not make any comment about it,” he said during a press conference following the opening ceremony of AI Fest 2026 in Iloilo City.
Solidum said the country needs to continue strengthening its AI capabilities through education, research, and international collaboration. “We still need a lot of skilled staff and talented scientists and engineers to do that,” he said.
DOST has partnered with local and international universities to support training in frontier technologies, including AI, and has established the National AI Center for Research and Innovation to advance AI research and applications across sectors. No timeline was given for reaching the one-million-Filipino upskilling target.
