The Department of Science and Technology in Western Visayas (DOST-6) is gearing up for the 2026 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Festival, a regional initiative aimed at advancing the practical, ethical, and collaborative use of AI in governance, industry, education, research, and the creative sector.

During the launch of the event in Iloilo on Tuesday, DOST-6 Regional Director Rowen Gelonga said the activity seeks to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Western Visayas AI Action Plan will be presented to stakeholders, as well as report what they have done so far.

“At the same time, create an opportunity for further collaboration with different technical activities we will be having in the region. Although this is being initiated by Western Visayas, we are also positioning AI Fest 2026 as a national and even an international event because we have invited participants not only from outside of Western Visayas but also outside of the country, in particular the ASEAN countries,” he said.

Gelonga said the event, in its second year, will be bigger, with nine major components from last year’s four.

This year, there will be a technical conference composed of plenary sessions on various AI-related topics and issues, AI research and development presentations, and updates on the latest AI technologies and trends from industry leaders.

The AI Hackathon national competition will gather inspiring innovators, exhibits of cutting-edge AI products and innovations, Sine AI for the creative community, AI Game On!, AI in motion robotics workshop and competition, roundtable discussions, seminars, and policy lab/workshop.

The event set on Aug. 3-5 anchors on the theme “Building an AI-ready Future, Together.” (PNA)