05 / Programs
Who is actually teaching it.
The Philippines has committed to training 1.5 million people in AI literacy during 2026 — one of the most ambitious targets anywhere. This is every program doing the work, what each one claims, and the difference between a target and a person actually trained.
10 programs · 5 government · 5 private, academic and civil society · updated 29 July 2026
Those first two numbers are the ones to hold together. The target is 1.5 million; the largest reported completion figure is about 796,000. Roughly half the year's goal appears to be met — but only one program publishes a completion number at all.
Every program
Government first, then everyone else.
The pattern here mirrors the research labs: the state is doing most of the work, with a small number of companies and one university inside the delivery chain.
| Program | Run by | Sector | Reach | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Project AGAP.AI | Department of Education (DepEd) | Government | 1.5 million target | Confirmed |
 AI Ready ASEAN — Philippines | ASEAN Foundation, funded by Google.org, delivered with DepEd | Multilateral | ~796,000 already trained | Confirmed |
 TESDA AI Readiness Training Programs | Technical Education and Skills Development Authority | Government | Open enrolment | Reported |
 TESDA × STI College free AI training | TESDA with STI College | Government | 3,273 learners nationwide | Reported |
 DepEd × Microsoft AI-powered literacy | Department of Education with Microsoft Philippines | Private | Not disclosed | Confirmed |
 DOST AI flagship program | Department of Science and Technology | Government | 400+ trained | Confirmed |
 PLDT and Smart — AI-in-a-Box | PLDT / Smart Communications | Private | Not disclosed | Reported |
 Technological Institute of the Philippines — AI Ready ASEAN partner | T.I.P. | Academic | Not disclosed | Confirmed |
 Break The Fake Movement PH | Break The Fake Movement | Civil society | Not disclosed | Reported |
| DepEd responsible AI use guidance | Department of Education | Government | All public schools | Reported |
01 / Government
Project AGAP.AI
Department of Education (DepEd) · Launched 9 January 2026 · Rolling out through 2026
Accelerating Governance and Adaptive Pedagogy through Artificial Intelligence — the country's first nationwide program for responsible AI in basic education. Launched by President Marcos with Education Secretary Sonny Angara, it positions AI literacy as a life skill rather than a technical elective. Targets 1.05 million learners, 300,000 teachers and 150,000 parents. Covers AI fundamentals, classroom use, ethics, data privacy and misinformation risk. Supported by MIT's Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) initiative and the Day of AI program.
Reach: 1.5 million target
ConfirmedSources: Philippine Information Agency · Presidential Communications Office · BusinessWorld — 1.5 million target
02 / Multilateral
AI Ready ASEAN — Philippines
ASEAN Foundation, funded by Google.org, delivered with DepEd · Running through 2026 · Active — the largest program by people actually reached
The regional AI Ready ASEAN initiative aims to equip 5.5 million people across all ten ASEAN member states with basic AI skills over two and a half years. The Philippine arm is the delivery vehicle for much of AGAP.AI's training, reaching learners, educators and parents in plain language. Nearly 796,000 Filipinos have already completed training in AI literacy fundamentals — making this the one program on this page with a large verified completion figure rather than only a target.
Reach: ~796,000 already trained
ConfirmedSources: Manila Bulletin — DepEd partners with ASEAN · BusinessMirror — PHL at ASEAN summit · T.I.P. — implementing partner
03 / Government
TESDA AI Readiness Training Programs
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority · Launched 29 April 2026 · Active
Vocational-track AI training aimed at working-age Filipinos rather than schoolchildren — the counterpart to DepEd's schools program. Intended to widen access to AI skills for people entering or already in the digital economy.
Reach: Open enrolment
ReportedSources: Philippine Information Agency
04 / Government
TESDA × STI College free AI training
TESDA with STI College · April to December 2026 · Active
A free AI readiness training program delivered through STI's campus network. Notable for publishing a specific, modest and checkable enrolment figure rather than a headline target — 3,273 learners.
Reach: 3,273 learners nationwide
ReportedSources: Daily Tribune
05 / Private
DepEd × Microsoft AI-powered literacy
Department of Education with Microsoft Philippines · February 2026 · Active
A partnership pairing AI literacy with learning-recovery work in basic education, running alongside AGAP.AI. Microsoft supplies tools and training; DepEd supplies reach.
Reach: Not disclosed
ConfirmedSources: Microsoft — DepEd partnership · InsiderPH
06 / Government
DOST AI flagship program
Department of Science and Technology · First year completed 2026 · Active — now under NAICRI
The research-side capacity program, distinct from the schools programs: it trains researchers and technical staff rather than the general public. Its first year produced R&D prototypes and 400-plus trained people, and it now sits under the National AI Center for Research and Innovation launched in February 2026.
Reach: 400+ trained
Confirmed07 / Private
PLDT and Smart — AI-in-a-Box
PLDT / Smart Communications · 2026 · Active
Bundles AI literacy training with connectivity and practical tools for institutions — an attempt to solve the problem that AI training is useless where the internet is not. Aimed at preparing Filipino youth for AI-related work.
Reach: Not disclosed
ReportedSources: BusinessWorld SparkUp
08 / Academic
Technological Institute of the Philippines — AI Ready ASEAN partner
T.I.P. · MOU signed 26 February 2026 · Active
T.I.P. became an Affiliate Implementing Partner for AI Ready ASEAN, putting a private university inside the delivery chain of the national literacy push rather than leaving it to government alone.
Reach: Not disclosed
ConfirmedSources: T.I.P. announcement
09 / Civil society
Break The Fake Movement PH
Break The Fake Movement · 2026 · Active
A media-literacy movement carrying the AI Ready ASEAN program into its own community networks. Its angle is the overlap between AI literacy and misinformation — arguably the most urgent version of the problem in the Philippines.
Reach: Not disclosed
ReportedSources: Break The Fake Movement PH
10 / Government
DepEd responsible AI use guidance
Department of Education · 2026 · In force
Rather than banning AI in schools, DepEd has permitted responsible use by learners and teachers nationwide, with safeguards. This is the policy that makes the training programs coherent — there is little point teaching AI literacy in a system where the tools are forbidden.
Reach: All public schools
ReportedSources: Philippine News Agency
Reading these numbers
A target is not a person
Most programs on this page publish a target, not a result. Only two publish anything resembling a completion figure: AI Ready ASEAN's roughly 796,000, and the DOST flagship's 400-plus trained researchers. TESDA and STI publish a specific enrolment of 3,273, which is small but checkable — and a checkable small number is worth more than an unverifiable large one.
“Trained” is also doing heavy lifting. None of these programs publish what completion means — a short module, a full course, an assessment passed. Until they do, treat every figure here as a measure of activity rather than of capability.
Know a program that is missing, or a completion figure that is published somewhere? Send it.
Related
What AI literacy actually means →
The policy behind these programs →
The research labs training researchers →