Will agentic AI–a form of artificial intelligence that can function with little to no human intervention–be a game-changer for businesses, or will it spark more uncertainty on job security? This is the question that government officials, academic scholars, and industry leaders will aim to discuss and answer at the upcoming 8th GAIN National Convention. With the theme “Shaping Tomorrow: Gaining Momentum in the Era of AI,” the convention on August 29 at the AIM Conference Center in Makati City, organized by the Government Academe Industry Network, Inc. (GAIN), will discuss actionable measures in training the Filipino talent for the adoption of agentic AI across all sectors.
Unlike generative AI, which relies on prompts, agentic AI is designed to act and make decisions autonomously. A recent study by Microsoft found that 89% of companies in the Philippines plan to use AI agents, one of the many applications of agentic AI, within the next 12 to 18 months. For GAIN President Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, this year’s convention will serve as an opportunity for various stakeholders to collaborate in shaping an AI-driven future in the Philippines.
“Coming from last year’s insights on AI, we are now gathering leaders in the government, academe, and industry to discuss the possible impacts of agentic AI and contribute inputs to the curricula and policies that will bring the Philippines towards a sustainable, AI-enabled future,” she said. Among the speakers are SEAMEO Innotech’s Center Deputy Director Kochakorn Khattapan-Acidre, who will discuss the application of AI in the education sector in Southeast Asia, and Southville Global Education Network’s Chief Technology Officer Rex Wallen Tan, who will dive into what agentic AI is and how it is transforming education, government, and businesses.
Representatives from industry groups and the private sector, including Doc Ligot from the Philippine AI Business Association, Ida Tiongson from Fintech Alliance PH, and JL Botor from the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines, will also be tackling ways to utilize agentic AI in streamlining business operations. Capping the convention will be a panel discussion with delegates from the government, academe, and industry on forging cross-sector collaborations for a future-ready society.
For the past years, the GAIN National Convention has served as a venue for multi-sector discussions in driving global competitiveness among the Filipino workforce amid the adoption of innovations like AI.
“By providing avenues, such as our annual National Convention, for representatives from the government, academe, and industry to converse and collaborate, we have been able to generate awareness and lead initiatives that can make the Filipino talent globally competitive, even in the midst of emerging technologies,” said GAIN Chairman Peter Laurel.
These GAIN-led initiatives include the flagship Reading Program in Southville International School and Colleges, free Open Educational Resources with self-paced and interactive tools to improve English proficiency, and an English course for Tagalog speakers on the language learning app Duolingo.
