Started with games, ended with glory—Blix Foryasen, a 4th-year computer science student from National University, won first place at the AWS AI League, a big regional competition on artificial intelligence (AI) held in Singapore. Over 1,300 students from across Southeast Asia joined, but Blix came out on top.
“When I was in Singapore, I felt like I was carrying the hopes of other young Filipino tech talents,” he said
Representing the Philippines wasn’t easy for him. As a child, he didn’t even own a computer. Blix started learning in internet cafés, where he spent most of his time watching his older siblings play, and with that scenario, that’s where his curiosity started to open— not just in playing games, but in how they actually worked.
“Gamer na talaga ako when I was a kid. ‘Yung mga kapatid ko dinadala ako sa comp shop kahit patago,” he shared.
Even though he was interested in tech, his family didn’t really support that path and hoped he would take a practical career. “Though I wanted to explore or code as early as possible, ‘di ko magawa kasi ‘di naman ako tech expert… Well, at least sa culture ng family ko,” he added.
Things changed when he got to college. “Thanks to college, parang I was able to heal my inner child. I finally had the equipment to explore,” he said.
The AWS AI League was tough, and it wasn’t just about coding; it was also about how students used AI in real-life problems. Blix noticed an important thing, such as how important human judgment is, even with smart AI tools.
“Meron talagang importance ‘yung human oversight in terms of accuracy of our models. We’re already in the age of agentic AI, but human oversight is important. Humans need to make sure if there’s bias,” he said.
He also found that the AI system doesn’t always give him the best score, but the human judges recognized the strength of his work and that effort matters indeed—and named him the overall champion.
Now that the contest is over in Singapore, Blix wants to focus on something even bigger— helping others. He hopes to guide younger students, share what he’s learned, and build a stronger AI community in the Philippines.
“I will be pushing through if ever there will be a grand final as AWS re:Invent,” he said. “But personally, I’d focus more on community building as well.”
Blix believes the Philippines has world-class tech talent. The challenge is access and visibility. “The PH tech talent we have can compete with other ASEAN countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and possibly also on the global stage when it comes to AI and tech.”
Looking ahead, Blix wants to focus on his studies and explore whether through research, internships, or even business — anywhere he can use AI to make real change.
“I advocate for AI. For good and responsible AI,” he said.
Blix’s story is proof that success doesn’t depend on where you start but on your passion — and your willingness to help others grow with you.
