INNOTECH Weighs in on the State of Artificial Intelligence in Education in SEA

SEAMEO INNOTECH joined technological giants, educational institutions and professionals during the 2024 METAEDU Smart Education Expo in Taiwan. The Center weighed in on the current state of Artificial Intelligence in Southeast Asia, and how it is currently impacting the education sector.

The Digital Education Institute (DEI) of the Institute for Information Industry (III) held the 2024 METAEDU Smart Education Expo, a sub-expo at the 2024 Smart City Summit and Expo, last March 19-22, 2022. This year, the event focused and emphasized on AI solutions and how the technology can effectively be integrated in the field of education.

Exhibitors this year were composed of 18 international technological organizations. Among these were VM-Fi Inc., a company specializing in AI voice recognition and AI real-time translation services, ViewSonic International Corporation, the leading provider of computing, consumer electronics, and communications solutions across the globe, and Actura, an Australia-based company providing the leading STEAM learning solutions, to name a few.

The 2024 METAEDU put its emphasis on “AI Education”, that showed the application of AI in three main educational settings, namely, in the development of AI-centered Smart classrooms, the enhancement of the Makerspace Playground, and the blending of AI algorithms, music composition tools, and multilingual learning applications to create the AI Language Bar, which could serve as an effective language-learning tool.

SEAMEO INNOTECH joined the partners of DEI-III in the Expo. The Center’s Knowledge Marketing and Networking Office (KMNO) Manager Atty. Christopher Arnuco and Legal Policy and Quality Management Office (LQMO) Manager Atty. Ira Paulo Pozon represented the organization in the said event.

SEAMEO INNOTECH Chief of Staff and Legal Policy and Quality Management Office (LQMO) Manager Atty. Ira Paulo Pozon with fellow keynote speakers during the 2024 METAEDU Smart Education Expo in Taiwan.

Atty. Pozon joined other officers from other organizations as they provided the current state of AI in education. SEAMEO STEM-ED Director Dr. Kritsachai Somsaman, SEAMEO Indonesian Centre (SEA-ICC) Managing Director Dr. Gatot Hari Priowirjanto, Penang STEM General Manager Richard Chung, and Asia Pacific Assistive Robotics Association Honorary Advisor Oliver Tian were also keynote speakers. During his speech, Atty. Pozon shared his insights on the risks and issues that go along with a refusal to understand AI, and how AI already impacts education in Southeast Asia, as well as methods to shift teaching strategies in the age of AI.

SEAMEO INNOTECH remains hands-on in the further integration of AI in education. As the SEAMEO regional center for technology and innovation, the organization is on top of the current trends, issues, and discussion on AI. Just recently, INNOTECH’s Dr. Sherlyne Almonte-Acosta was invited to participate in the National Stakeholders Roundtable on Ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI): Catalyzing AI readiness in the Philippines, organized by the United Nations Philippines. The Center is also keen on developing knowledge products and frameworks as AI continues to be part of the educational landscape of today.