Southeast Asian education officials have endorsed an expanded ASEAN Foundation program that aims to equip more than 1.7 million students, teachers and university staff with practical artificial intelligence skills by the end of 2028.
The ASEAN Foundation said on Friday that the program, AI Ready ASEAN, forms the next phase of an effort now becoming the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific.
The fund is a regional initiative led by Asian social-investment network AVPN, with support from Google’s philanthropy Google.org, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The new phase shifts from raising awareness to applied AI learning, helping K-12 teachers, university students and faculty develop practical skills in using AI for teaching, research and work.
The program will work with local implementing partners in ASEAN member states to develop locally adapted curricula and coordinate with education ministries.
The ASEAN Foundation said the initiative is intended to equip more than 1.7 million students, teachers and university staff with practical AI skills by the end of 2028.
Piti Srisangnam, executive director of the ASEAN Foundation, said the program was moving beyond awareness to embedding practical AI skills across the region’s education systems.
Marija Ralic, head of Google.org for the Asia-Pacific, said AI literacy was becoming a foundational skill and that educators were central to helping students use the technology responsibly.
The AI Opportunity Fund was launched in 2024 as a $35 million regional initiative.
By the end of June, the fund had trained more than 500,000 workers and 50,000 small businesses across the Asia-Pacific.
The ASEAN Foundation said AI Ready ASEAN aligns with ASEAN’s socio-cultural and economic strategic plans to 2030 and its education work plan.
The expanded program will focus on K-12 teachers, university students and faculty, with particular emphasis on the use of AI in teaching, research and work.
