ILOILO City – The Philippines should stop measuring its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions against Silicon Valley and instead focus on building AI solutions that address uniquely Filipino challenges, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. declared during the AI Fest 2026 here.
Speaking before thousands of innovators, researchers, government officials, industry leaders, and technology enthusiasts at the Iloilo Convention Center in Mandurriao, Solidum said the country’s competitive edge lies not in developing massive frontier AI models but in creating practical, ethical, and people-centered technologies tailored to local realities.
“Progress is not merely about the creation of technologies,” Solidum declared.
“It’s about building the technologies we need to solve real-world Filipino problems,” he said.
The three-day AI Fest 2026, which ran from Aug. 3 to 5, aimed to position Iloilo City as an emerging center for artificial intelligence innovation in the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while showcasing Filipino-developed technologies and strengthening collaboration among government, industry, and academia.
Solidum underscored the growing importance of AI, describing it as a transformative technology comparable to electricity and the internet.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer a trend; it’s a general-purpose technology. Its impact on how we live and work will be as profound as electricity or the internet,” he stressed.
“AI is reshaping industries, public services, and global competitiveness,” he added.
The DOST chief also challenged Filipinos to shape their own AI future rather than merely adopting technologies developed elsewhere.
“Let me be candid about where we stand. The Philippines is not far behind; we sit comfortably above the halfway mark in global AI readiness rankings, and we are steadily climbing. However, we are trying to outbuild Silicon Valley. We are not competing head-to-head in developing massive frontier language models. That is not our race to win, and frankly, it does not need to be,” he emphasized.
Instead, Solidum said the country’s strength lies in its understanding of local conditions and the wealth of Filipino cultural data that can be harnessed to produce relevant AI applications.
“A traffic model built for European highways does not recognize the complexities of jeepneys or tricycles. Similarly, a weather model designed for temperate regions cannot adequately address the realities of a tropical cyclone that faces our islands over 20 times each year,” he added.
“That is where we compete and where we can lead,” he added.
DOST-6 Regional Director Engr. Rowen Gelonga said the expanded AI Fest 2026 served as a major platform for implementing the Western Visayas AI Action Plan while strengthening partnerships across the country’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem.
This year’s festival featured nine major events, expanded national collaborations, international participation, a national AI Hackathon, technical conferences, plenary sessions, and exhibitions highlighting AI-powered products and innovations developed by Filipino researchers and technology firms.
Carrying the theme, “Building an AI-ready Future Together,” the festival sought to accelerate artificial intelligence research, innovation, and digital transformation as Western Visayas strengthens its role in the country’s expanding AI landscape./PN
