The ASEAN Foundation, with support from Google.org, has launched the ASEAN Digital Outlook and the preliminary AI Ready ASEAN Research during a regional policy convening in Manila.
Developed in collaboration with the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting, the studies provide a regional assessment of digital maturity and institutional preparedness as the bloc’s digital economy is projected to grow from $300 billion to $1 trillion by 2030.
The initiative builds on the AI Ready ASEAN program, which has already upskilled more than 5 million beneficiaries in AI literacy and trained 3,000 master trainers across the region. As digitalization and artificial intelligence reshape economies and public services for ASEAN’s 660 million people, the research highlights that the region’s ability to adopt AI responsibly will be decisive for future employment and social inclusion.
“Across ASEAN, we are seeing AI use grow faster than our systems’ ability to guide it,” ASEAN Foundation executive-director Dr. Piti Srisangnam said.
“These studies move the conversation beyond whether AI is being used to whether our institutions, educators, and communities are truly prepared. Evidence like this is essential to designing policies that protect trust, strengthen skills, and ensure AI benefits people, not just economies,” he said.
The ASEAN Digital Outlook identifies uneven levels of digital maturity and persistent gaps in cybersecurity and public trust across member states. Meanwhile, the AI Ready ASEAN Research focuses on education communities, finding a consistent gap between high usage and actual readiness. While students are early adopters, educators and parents report lower confidence and a lack of structured training.
In the Philippines, about 83.40 percent of students and 73.07 percent of educators reported using generative AI models. Student-led experimentation is particularly high in writing and paraphrasing tools, used by 75.95 percent of students compared with 42.21 percent of educators. Despite this adoption, fewer than 50 percent of educators expressed confidence in existing institutional AI policies.
“Our responsibility now is to ensure that our students use AI confidently and ethically, enabling them to stay ahead in their learning journey,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said during the launch of the Department of Education’s Project AGAP.AI.
“Technology cannot replace discipline. It cannot replace effort. It cannot replace the habit of showing up prepared and ready to learn. It cannot replace hard work,” he said.
The Department of Education is rolling out reforms to integrate AI into basic education, including a national curriculum developed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These efforts aim to address growing risks such as online scams, deepfake-enabled fraud, and data breaches that undermine trust in digital systems.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the Philippines is shaping regional dialogue to ensure AI adoption is ethical and equitable. “Through initiatives like AI Ready ASEAN Philippines, we are shaping regional dialogue to ensure that AI adoption across ASEAN is ethical, responsible, and equitable,” Angara said.
The ASEAN Foundation said these studies will serve as data-driven references for policymakers and development partners. By shifting focus from mere access to long-term impact and governance, the organization aims to support inclusive growth across the region’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
