The Albay Institute of Artificial Intelligence will be "a place for learning, experimentation and innovation," according to former Second District Representative Joey Salceda, who called it his "birthday gift" to the province.

The AIAI, the first local government-driven learning institution of its nature in the Philippines, will host programs to teach young Albayanos how to use artificial intelligence to solve problems and build businesses from their solutions.

Salceda said he wants people "not to be afraid of AI, because whether we like it or not, AI is already there and continues to advance." He spoke following the recent signing of a deed of donation for the facility's site.

"Artificial intelligence is the next leap. AI will also transform the economy," said Salceda, who turned 64 the day before the facility's launch.

The launch in Barangay Sucgad, Polangui, was held 27 October.

The 2,000-square-meter site will also house the Disaster Risk Reduction Training Institute, another of Salceda's advocacies, and a Land Transportation Office branch.

The institute will offer free online programs and assessments with a national certificate from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, or TESDA, according to program director Christian Dy.

After his term in Congress ended in June, Salceda now chairs the Institute for Risk and Strategic Studies Inc., also called Salceda Research, which focuses on economic and fiscal reforms, risk reduction and management, and other vital strategic policy concerns.

Salceda noted the rapid advancement of the technology, saying, "Artificial intelligence has advanced faster than almost any other technology. What we thought would take 10 years materialized in just two years. Systems that looked experimental in 2022 could already pass professional examinations by 2024. Even TESDA’s 2024 modules are now outdated."

He pointed out that the International Monetary Fund ranks the Philippines low in AI readiness.

"In many universities, the first reaction to AI has been fear. Some schools even ban it completely," he said, adding that this attitude will make the country "even more ill-prepared for AI."

Salceda stressed the historical link between technological progress and human civilization, stating that "from writing to record trade, to mathematics for navigation, to machines that perform millions of calculations per second, each leap expands what the human mind could do."

He warned that a review of college curricula under the Commission on Higher Education showed that in accounting, "as much as 80 percent of tasks can already be done by AI. Most of what cannot be replaced by AI are related to judgment and systems thinking."

Salceda explained that the core of most AI systems is natural language processing, which allows computers to understand and generate human language.

"You no longer need to code. If you can describe your idea clearly, AI can turn it into code for you," he said. "The world will not slow down for those whom AI can outperform. We are entering a time when adaptation is not optional. We must prepare, learn and lead."

He wants to advance science in Albay, calling the province a "living laboratory of nature and resilience."

"We live beside a volcano, along the typhoon belt, and within the Pacific Ring of Fire," he said. "Science must always guide our growth — from disaster risk reduction to climate adaptation and artificial intelligence."