QUEZON CITY (Oct. 7, 2025) — AI Horizons PH 2025, the country’s premier conference on AI-powered innovation, is happening on Oct. 16-17, 2025 at the University of the Philippines Cebu.
In its second year, AI Horizons PH will showcase real-world applications of artificial intelligence that address the nation’s most pressing challenges across industries, government, and society. “We want attendees to leave with tools they can apply immediately in their businesses, agencies, or communities,” said UP Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar.
There will be demonstrations of AI use cases in four strategic areas affecting Philippine competitiveness and social welfare:
- Cybersecurity and national security: live demos of AI tools for protecting digital infrastructure and democratic institutions.
- BPO and creative industries: models showing how AI augments rather than replaces human work and opens career-advancement pathways from process-based to knowledge-intensive roles.
- Governance and disaster risk reduction: applications that can save lives and reduce economic losses from typhoons and earthquakes.
- Social good and inclusive growth: AI solutions that improve access to social services, health care, and education.
Cebu as the venue aligns with Digital Cities 2025, a government program for countryside growth that develops high-potential provincial centers to become globally-competitive investment locations; essentially increasing the creation of jobs and other opportunities in the IT and business process outsourcing sector beyond the National Capital Region.
As one of the country’s leading business process outsourcing hubs outside NCR, Cebu accounts for about 160,000 full-time BPO workers — more than 10% of the national workforce. The city anchors the country’s $31.6 billion contact-center industry, which posted roughly 7% year-over-year revenue growth in 2024 despite global uncertainties and concerns over AI disruption.
“Cebu exemplifies the transformation we envision for AI integration across Philippine industries,” said Prof. Prospero Naval Jr., conference program committee chair. “We’re highlighting solutions in the very environment where they will have immediate, measurable impact on livelihoods and economic growth.”
The conference aims to produce three key outputs:
- National AI Cybersecurity Strategy policy brief with recommendations for protecting critical infrastructure and democratic processes.
- AI Integration in the Philippine BPO Sector industry roadmap to guide the nation’s largest private employer toward higher-value services.
- Philippine Priorities for AI Social Good multi-stakeholder framework to coordinate government, civil-society, and private-sector efforts for equitable AI development.
“We’re not just adopting AI — we’re showing how the Philippines can lead in human-centered AI that respects our values while strengthening our global competitiveness,” said Prof. Emeritus Gisela Concepcion, a program committee member.
AI Horizons PH 2025 offers a critical opportunity to showcase Philippine innovation in AI while addressing urgent challenges facing key industries and communities.
For details, visit the conference website or email ai-horizons@up.edu.ph.
