06/09/2026
I am honored to be invited as a Research Presenter and Panel Discussant at the Children and Youth-Led Research Forum on Artificial Intelligence, happening from September 8 to 10, 2026, at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City.
On Day 1, September 8, I will deliver a presentation on “Digital Literacy and AI,” sharing our work and experiences through AI Education PH.
My session will focus on a question that every parent, teacher, school, and community must confront:
How can we prepare Filipino children and young people to use artificial intelligence responsibly, critically, safely, and creatively?
AI is already influencing how young people learn, communicate, create content, gather information, and understand the world. We cannot simply tell them to avoid it. We must teach them how to question it, verify information, recognize manipulation, protect their privacy, understand bias, and use technology without surrendering their judgment, identity, and humanity.
Digital literacy today is no longer limited to knowing how to operate a device or browse the internet. It now includes understanding how algorithms influence decisions, how AI-generated content can mislead people, and how young users can protect themselves from deepfakes, misinformation, online exploitation, and other emerging risks.
But this conversation must not be built on fear alone.
AI can also become a powerful tool for learning, creativity, inclusion, entrepreneurship, and nation-building, especially when Filipino children and youth are given the right education, guidance, and opportunities.
Through AI Education PH, we continue to advocate for “AI para sa masa.” AI education should not be reserved for private schools, technology companies, or people who can afford expensive tools. Every Filipino learner, including those in public schools, underserved communities, and Alternative Learning System programs, deserves the opportunity to understand and benefit from this technology.
What makes this forum especially meaningful is that children and youth leaders will help facilitate the panel discussion. Young people should not merely be discussed as statistics, beneficiaries, or potential victims. They must have a genuine voice in shaping the policies, programs, and safeguards that will affect their future.
I sincerely thank World Vision Development Foundation for this invitation and for bringing together young leaders, researchers, advocates, educators, and experts for this timely conversation. I am also grateful to the Council for the Welfare of Children, National Youth Commission, NU Fairview, Unilab Foundation, and the other participating organizations supporting this important initiative.
I look forward to sharing what we have learned on the ground and, more importantly, listening directly to the insights, concerns, and aspirations of Filipino children and young people.
We must not prepare our children only to survive an AI-driven world.
We must empower them to understand it, question it, shape it, and use it to build a better and more humane future.
See you on September 8!
Pocholo De Leon Gonzales
Founder and Visionary Leader
AI Education PH
