Shape
what comes
next.

Sep 14, 2026

Two months in. Now it's their turn. 🌏 They sat in zoom rooms with ambassadors and asked what human rights actually mean in an age of AI. They pushed back on the hype and learned what machine learning looks like when it has to work offline, in remote schools, with no reliable internet. They heard about the environmental cost of the tools we're so excited to build. They debated who AI governance serves and who it leaves out. For eight weeks, they listened, questioned, and challenged. Now they answer. On September 19 and 26, our 120 fellows from across ASEAN and South Korea take the floor for their Capstone Presentations, country-level research on the AI landscape in their own communities, covering policy, ethics, social impact, and what needs to change. 12 countries. 120 perspectives. One fellowship. We can't wait to hear what they've built. 🚀

Sep 7, 2026

"Let us not simply allow AI to determine our future. Let us work together to determine the future of AI." 🌏 Of all the things said in Session 7 this Saturday, this is the one that stayed with us. In a conversation about climate action, sustainable development, and the real costs of AI, energy, water, inequality, it would have been easy to stay in the abstract. But H.E. Seonghoon Anselmo Lee, Ambassador for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy of the Republic of Korea, brought it back to something more fundamental: AI is not inevitable. It is not neutral. And the rules governing it are still being written. Which means someone has to write them. He reminded our fellows that they are not just the future of AI, they are its present stakeholders, co-designers, and rule-makers. That they carry a responsibility not only to the communities here today, but to the generations who aren't yet in the room and have no voice in the decisions being made right now. To our fellows across ASEAN and South Korea: we hope you leave Session 7 not just knowing more about AI and the SDGs, but with a clearer sense of what you're willing to fight for, and who you're building for. That's what this fellowship is for.

Sep 3, 2026

From climate modeling and smart agriculture to disaster preparedness, renewable energy, and circular economy solutions, AI is already reshaping how the world responds to its most pressing environmental and development challenges. But with that power comes real responsibility: the energy AI consumes, the data it requires, the communities it leaves behind, and the governance frameworks that must sit underneath all of it. This Saturday, we explore all of it. Michelle Kim-Rissi is a Harvard-trained sustainability and global development professional serving with the JIVAM FOUNDATION, UN Association Canada, and the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA). A Harvard alumni awardee for social change, Michelle has spent over a decade leading work across climate resilience, environmental education, youth leadership, and health equity, with engagements at COP, UNEA, CSW, UNGA, and multilateral forums across Canada, South Korea, the UAE, Switzerland, the UK, Mexico, and beyond. Shellan Saling is a sustainability, climate, and international development professional working at the intersection of environmental policy, corporate strategy, and applied AI. As Interim Chair of the Youth Plastics Action Network (YPAN), she leads youth coordination across 170+ countries in the first-ever UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, delivering formal interventions and contributing to treaty language on extended producer responsibility and sustainable materials. She has built AI-powered tools that cut regulatory analysis from 40 hours to under 30 seconds, and co-organized the MEA Bootcamp, training over 10,000 participants from 130+ countries. She holds a Master's in Development Studies from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a BA in International Relations from UC Davis. Cautiously optimistic about AI, her work focuses on turning complex policy and emerging technology into practical solutions, and ensuring young people have a real seat at the table where the rules get written. Together, they will bring 120 young leaders from across ASEAN and South Korea through expert insights, real-world examples, and a collaborative workshop where fellows apply AI and systems thinking to SDG challenges in their own communities. The conversation starts Saturday. 👀 Session 7 | AI for Asia Fellowship 2026 📅 September 5, 2026 | 2:00 PM GMT+8 | Online via Zoom

Sep 3, 2026

AI can predict typhoons. Optimize solar grids. Monitor biodiversity loss in real time. But here's what the data doesn't tell you: most AI-for-climate tools were never designed with the communities facing the worst of it. Session 7 of the AI for Asia Fellowship goes there, the real conversation on what it means to use AI responsibly for sustainable development. Not just the applications, but the ethics. Not just the potential, but the cost. We're honored to open with a Message of Support from H.E. Seonghoon (Anselmo) LEE Ambassador for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, RoK Government, a powerful voice on the intersection of governance, human rights, and sustainable futures. We're then sitting down with Michelle Kim-Rissi (JIVAM FOUNDATION / Climatech Institute / UN Association Canada) and Shellan Saling (Youth Plastic Action Network (YPAN)), two leaders working to make sure AI for the SDGs actually serves the people the SDGs were written for. Climate modeling. Smart agriculture. Disaster preparedness. Renewable energy. Circular economy. And the harder questions about AI energy consumption, equity, and who gets left out. This Friday. Don't miss it. 👀

Sep 2, 2026

"For ECAIR, you have to start with the problem before you create a solution." 💬 In a space obsessed with what AI can do, Eli Bundoc of Center for AI Research DepEd Philippines brought it back to something more fundamental: where does the problem actually come from? Not from a lab. Not from a trend. From a community. A body of people who can tell you what's broken, a teacher who can't track which student is quietly falling behind, a school administrator drowning in paper records, a district with no signal and no system. Silicon Valley sells you an idea. ECAIR starts with a community first. To our fellows across ASEAN and South Korea: before you build anything, ask yourself, who told you this was the problem? Because that answer changes everything.

Sep 2, 2026

"It's not the technology, but the person behind the technology that matters the most." 💬 This is the line from Session 6 we keep coming back to. Pauline Marie Villar of Center for AI Research DepEd Philippines reminded young leaders across 12 countries that every dataset represents a real learner. Every model you design should make someone's work lighter. Someone's future clearer. Someone's chance to keep up a little more possible. We have 12 countries and 1 fellowship and one shared question: how do we make AI work for the learners who need it most? The answer doesn't start with the algorithm. It starts with remembering who you're building for. That's what this fellowship is for. 🌏

Aug 28, 2026

Generative AI gets the headlines. But across Southeast Asia, the AI that actually matters is the kind most people never see. 🌏 Predictive models flagging students at risk of dropping out. Computer vision digitizing millions of school records. Resource distribution systems built to run offline in remote school districts with no reliable internet. This is what Education Center for AI Research — DepEd Philippines is actually building. And this Saturday, they're bringing that work to 120 young leaders from across ASEAN and South Korea. Swipe to see what practical, responsible ML looks like when it has to serve millions of learners across one of the most complex education systems in the region → Session 6 | AI for Asia Fellowship 2026 x ECAIR 📅 August 29, 2026 | 2:00 PM GMT+8 | Online via Zoom

Aug 26, 2026

Most AI tools get the spotlight. The systems actually running public education don't. 🖥️ This Saturday, we sit down with Sebastian Felipe "Eli" Bundoc, Senior Data Scientist at the Education Center for AI Research (ECAIR), DepEd Philippines, and the conversation is going to look very different from what you're used to. Eli started where it matters most, on the ground, working in policy, grant management, and data analysis across DepEd, CHED, and the Congressional Commission on Education. That foundation led him to pursue a Master of Science in Data Science at the Asian Institute of Management, and now at ECAIR, he's doing what few people in this space are: building and deploying real machine learning systems inside a public education system serving tens of millions of learners. Not chatbots. Not demos. Predictive dropout warning systems. Computer vision for document digitization. ML models built to run offline in remote, low-connectivity school districts across the Philippines. Session 6 goes beyond the generative hype, into what responsible, practical AI actually looks like when equity isn't optional and the stakes are that high. Then it's your turn. Fellows will design their own non-chatbot AI system to solve a real educational challenge in a resource-constrained ASEAN school district, from choosing the right ML approach, to protecting student data privacy, to making it work where the internet doesn't. 👇 Come ready to think differently about what AI can actually do. 👀 Session 6 | AI for Asia Fellowship 2026 x ECAIR 📅 August 29, 2026 | 2:00 PM GMT+8 | Online via Zoom

Aug 23, 2026

"What is your fight? Make it personal because you make it real." 💬 Of all the things said in Session 5 this Saturday, this is the one that stayed with us. In a conversation about AI governance, education systems, and regional policy, it would have been easy to stay abstract. But Carlo Fernando of the SEAMEO Secretariat brought it back to the most human question of all: why does this matter to you? Are you doing this so Muslim girls have more access to education? So LGBT youth have access to safe spaces? So the child in your community who can't afford school someday can? Because if it matters to you personally, if you can see the face of the person you're building for, that's what makes the work real. That's what makes it last. To our 120 fellows across ASEAN and South Korea: we hope you leave Session 5 not just with frameworks and policy questions, but with a clearer sense of your own fight. That's what this fellowship is for. 🌏 Session 5 | AI for Asia Fellowship 2026 x SEAMEO