The Philippine AI research labs to know

Artificial intelligence research in the Philippines is not only done abroad. Local bodies build computing power, train people and make AI tools for Filipino languages.

This guide covers three of them. One is a new government center. One is an older government initiative with a thin public record. One is a private company that was later bought by another firm.

For each one, we explain what the data says and what it does not say.

NAICRI: the new national hub

The National Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Innovation, or NAICRI, is the newest body on this list. The Department of Science and Technology launched it on 26 February 2026.

NAICRI is described as the country's central national institution for AI research, advanced computing and innovation. Its job is to bring together AI research, computing infrastructure and capacity-building that were once spread across many places. It is also the designated hub for harmonizing national AI efforts.

The listed research areas are:

- National AI research coordination - Advanced computing - AI-as-a-Service - Model repositories - Capacity building

### What NAICRI runs on

NAICRI does not start from zero. It uses infrastructure that already runs at DOST-ASTI, the Advanced Science and Technology Institute.

The main piece is COARE, the national supercomputing facility. COARE has supported FASSSTER pandemic surveillance, rice genome sequencing with IRRI, climate modeling and hazard mapping.

Other parts include:

- PREGINET, the national research and education network - NAIRA, a national AI-as-a-Service hub - DIMER, a shared AI model repository

DOST reported that GPU use on COARE rose 54 percent since 2020. DOST also reported that use more than doubled in the year before the launch. These are DOST's own figures. They show rising demand for computing power. They do not show what the computing was used for, or who used it.

### Who can work with NAICRI

The listed collaborators are DOST-ASTI, Congress, academe and industry partners, international development partners, and IRRI. The contact is DOST-ASTI.

The data marks NAICRI as not startup-friendly. That label does not mean startups are banned. It means NAICRI is built as a national coordinating body, not as a service desk for small firms.

The NAICRI row was refreshed on 29 July 2026 from primary and major-press sources. Those sources are DOST-ASTI, Rappler and the Philippine Information Agency.

NCAIR: an older plan with a thin record

The National Center for AI Research, or NCAIR, appears in our data as a government body. Our record says it was announced in 2021 as part of the national AI roadmap.

The record describes a focus on agriculture, healthcare, BPO and governance. It also says NCAIR aims to close gaps in AI adoption for small businesses and startups.

The listed research areas are wide:

- Agricultural technology and aquaculture - Transportation and urban science - Smart manufacturing - Healthcare - Disaster management

The record lists links with the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, the Analytics Association of the Philippines, the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation, DTI and DOST.

### Read this entry with care

The NCAIR entry is not verified. It comes from the original ailiteracy.ph build. It has no source links. The contact field says "not explicitly mentioned."

The record also says NCAIR is run by private companies. That sits oddly with its government label. Our data does not explain the gap.

So treat NCAIR as a reported plan, not a confirmed working lab. Before you cite it in a school paper or a grant proposal, find a current official source.

The data also does not say how NCAIR relates to NAICRI. The names are similar. Do not assume they are the same body, or that one replaced the other.

Senti AI: Filipino language AI from the private sector

Senti AI is the private company on this list. The record calls it a pioneering AI company in the Philippines.

Its focus is conversational AI and natural language processing for Filipino languages. In plain words, it builds software that reads, understands and responds in Filipino.

The listed research areas include:

- Southeast Asian languages - Sentiment analysis - Machine learning - Conversational AI - AI solutions for businesses

### The Filipino Conversational AI Suite

Senti AI developed a set of tools called the Filipino Conversational AI Suite. It includes:

- Voix, a voice AI - Natter, a chat assistant - Balagtas, a Filipino natural language engine

The record says Senti AI was formed and led by experienced researchers, and by half of the country's Google Developer Experts. That is the company's own description, carried in our data.

Senti AI also offers AI strategy consulting, professional services and managed services. It provides knowledge transfer so client teams can use AI in their existing work.

### The Kollab acquisition

Kollab acquired Senti AI in December 2024. Our data was corrected on 29 July 2026 to fix the acquisition date. The sources are Kollab's own announcement and Inquirer Technology.

The data marks Senti AI as startup-friendly. It lists "multiple private and public institutions" as collaborators but does not name them.

What the data does not tell you

This data gives names, focus areas and links. It leaves out several things readers may want.

- It gives no budgets for any of the three bodies. - It gives no staff counts. - It does not list published research papers. - It does not say how a student or company can apply to use COARE or NAIRA. - It does not say what changed at Senti AI after the Kollab deal.

If you need those details, go to the source links below each entry. For NCAIR, there are none, so start with DOST or DTI.

Why this matters to you

For students, these bodies show where AI work happens in the country. NAICRI and its computing facilities matter if your thesis needs heavy computing.

For teachers, the list is a quick way to explain that the Philippines has its own AI infrastructure. COARE's use in rice genome work and hazard mapping gives local examples.

For workers and small business owners, Senti AI shows that AI for Filipino languages exists and is sold as a service. The NCAIR record shows the government has talked about AI help for small firms, but that record needs checking.

The main lesson is simple. Not every AI body has the same quality of public record. NAICRI and Senti AI have recent, sourced entries. NCAIR does not. Check the source before you repeat a claim.