While We Think, They Build: On the “AI Think Tank” of NIC and NEDA

Essential conversations on the future of the Philippines in this AI age

In its 8th meeting on Wednesday (March 26), the National Innovation Council (NIC) approved the creation of a technical working group composed of experts and leaders from industry, academia, and government to conduct a comprehensive study on the capabilities, current ecosystem, and future trajectory of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

This group will function as an AI think tank, providing critical insights into the country's AI readiness and adoption and guiding the government in formulating AI-related policies.

"If we want to harness the potential of AI, we urgently need a national approach and policy that will ensure alignment and collaboration between public and private sector efforts. More importantly, we must ensure that the Filipino workforce is adequately prepared to upskill and transition efficiently to these AI developments. To achieve this, we need to understand precisely what we are dealing with and how AI developments can be contextualized within the Philippine setting," said NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, who also serves as the Vice Chairperson of the NIC." You can view the full article from NEDA here.

The Dangerous Gap Between Policy and Execution

Photos from the NIC meeting confirm what many in tech already know: there's a dangerous gap between those making AI policy and those building AI products in the Philippines.

Where are the founders who've shipped? The engineers who've written actual code? The young innovators who use AI daily?

We don't just need another committee to "think" about AI. We need builders with practical experience to shape policy. Theory disconnected from practice produces regulations that inhibit rather than enable innovation.

The Philippines risks falling behind while decision makers debate theoretical frameworks instead of supporting the entrepreneurs actually building our AI future.

Real innovation happens on keyboards, not in boardrooms.

Philippines Needs AI Builders, Not Just Thinkers

Ugh, why can't the Philippines 🇵🇭 get this right?!

Instead of wasting time on another "think tank" for AI, we NEED to build real AI labs like the rest of the world! The U.S. has NAIRR, handing out compute power to actual innovators. China's got Baidu and Tencent labs pumping out breakthroughs. South Korea's AI hubs are killing it!

These countries are in the game, solving real problems—talent, compute, speed—while we're stuck "thinking"?! By the time this "think tank" is done and setup, the world has already moved on from MCPs, vibe coding, and AI agents. WE ARE LAGGING 10 YEARS BEHIND. WHY ADD ANOTHER LAYER OF THINKING WHEN WE NEED EXECUTING??

The hard truth is that committees don't create innovation—builders do. While our government forms committees to study AI, other nations are providing three crucial resources to their technologists:

1. Compute power

2. Funding for experimentation

3. Regulatory frameworks that enable rather than obstruct

We don't need more reports explaining what AI is. We need infrastructure that lets Filipino developers actually build with it.

The Reality of Philippine AI Governance: Perspectives from Insiders

The announcement of yet another AI think tank has sparked debate among those familiar with the Philippine government's history of technology initiatives. While some see it as a necessary step toward policy coordination, others question whether it will lead to meaningful action or simply produce another shelved document.

Those with insider knowledge of government operations offer particularly revealing perspectives:

"Historically, our government agencies use Think Tanks to produce Roadmaps. And historically, none of the Roadmaps were effectively pursued. Think of the Automotive Roadmaps and the Semicon Roadmaps and more recently the AI Roadmap (YES!!! THERE IS AN EXISTING AI ROADMAP made by the DTI of Duterte at the tailend of its administration, revised/renewed during the early BBM admin, but seemingly all but forgotten.)" - Pert Cabataña

This observation raises the uncomfortable question of whether this new initiative will face the same fate as previous technology roadmaps. Interestingly, those familiar with the National Innovation Council's structure offer a more nuanced take on its role:

"NIC is a council who can't do much to execute, it's an approving council. With a think tank, it can suggest what policies to create then approve. It's a bureaucratic thing. I was part of when the NIC was established and wrote several parts of founding policies." - Kevin San Miguel Cuevas

"IMO this is a way to harmonize AI policies. Ang dami kasi na ginawa ng mga agencies recently (DepEd, DTI, DOST, DICT, etc), NIC is mandated to be the coordinating body of this." - Kevin San Miguel Cuevas

A director from DICT offers a more pragmatic explanation for this approach:

"To answer your question...its because before anything govt does in PH (and anywhere else in the world) there has to be an underlying policy. The NAIRR is also something that came out of a policy document..what is important is probably to adopt similar to PH." - Rik Amores

Southeast Asian AI Race: How Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines Stack Up

As artificial intelligence transforms economies across Southeast Asia, a clear pattern of different national approaches is emerging. Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines—three countries with similar development histories and economic aspirations—have taken markedly different paths in their AI journeys.

This section examines how these nations are positioning themselves in the global AI race, comparing their strategies, investments, and results to date. By understanding these contrasting approaches, we can better assess the Philippines' current trajectory and what it might learn from its regional neighbors.

While all three countries face similar challenges—limited compute resources, brain drain, and foreign competition—their responses to these challenges reveal distinct national priorities and governance philosophies that are already shaping their technological futures.

Here’s what we know:

When comparing Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines specifically in terms of artificial intelligence (AI), Vietnam and Thailand exhibit stronger advancements and strategic initiatives, making them more competitive in the AI sector.

Vietnam's AI Innovation

1. Market Growth: Vietnam's AI market is projected to grow from USD 753.4 million in 2024 to USD 3.4 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.6%. The generative AI segment alone is expected to grow at an annual rate of 46.5% 2.

2. Government Support: Vietnam ranks 39th globally in AI readiness and has implemented proactive strategies such as establishing national data centers, training AI engineers, and creating a regulatory sandbox for AI development25.

3. Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with major tech companies like NVIDIA and Meta further enhance Vietnam's capabilities in AI research and infrastructure development 5 9.

4. Focus on Generative AI: Vietnam ranks second in ASEAN for generative AI dynamism, with plans to increase its share of AI startups from 27% to 35% by 2030 2.

Thailand's AI Innovation

1. AI Action Plan: Thailand’s National AI Action Plan (2022–2030) focuses on reforming regulations, strengthening infrastructure, enhancing workforce skills, and fostering public-private partnerships through initiatives like AI Sandboxes6.

2. Startup Ecosystem: Thailand ranks 54th globally and fourth in Southeast Asia for startup ecosystems, with significant growth in AI-driven startups across sectors such as healthcare, energy, and education 3 6.

3. Legislative Frameworks: The country is drafting laws like the Supported AI Law to reduce regulatory barriers and enhance collaboration between government and private entities for AI innovation 6.

4. Sectoral Applications: Thailand promotes the adoption of AI in critical sectors such as tourism, healthcare, and energy to reduce dependence on foreign technology6.

Philippines' AI Innovation

1. Market Growth: The Philippine AI market is expected to reach USD 1 billion by 2025 and grow to USD 3.5 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 27.75%, indicating rapid development 4.

2. Government Initiatives: The Philippines has launched an AI roadmap and established programs like ACABAI-PH to democratize access to AI tools across industries 8 10.

3. Think Tank Development: The government recently approved the creation of an AI think tank aimed at shaping future policies and preparing the workforce for AI adoption 7 11.

4. Patent Applications: There has been a 30% increase in patent applications for AI technologies over the past three years, reflecting growing innovation in sectors like healthcare, finance, and agriculture 1 3.

Southeast Asian AI Race: Vietnam and Thailand Speed Ahead While Philippines Plans

Three neighbors with similar economic profiles are taking drastically different approaches to AI. The results already show who's winning.

Vietnam's focused on execution: creating $3.4B in AI market value by 2030, building national compute infrastructure, launching regulatory sandboxes, and training engineers. They're partnering with NVIDIA and Meta while ranking second in ASEAN for generative AI dynamism.

Thailand's systematic: their National AI Action Plan spans regulation reform through 2030, focuses on practical sector-specific implementations (tourism, healthcare, energy), and positions them fourth regionally for startups. Their Supported AI Law directly addresses regulatory barriers.

Philippines talks while others build: despite projected market growth to $3.5B by 2030 and a recent 30% rise in AI patent applications, we're still establishing think tanks and discussing roadmaps – many of which historically remain unimplemented.

The pattern is clear: Vietnam and Thailand execute while Philippines deliberates. They're building infrastructure and forming industry partnerships while we're still deciding what to do.

In technology, speed determines winners. Markets don't wait for perfect policy frameworks.

The Philippine AI Gap: Why We're Falling Behind

The Philippines faces a brutal economic reality: we're losing the regional AI race, and the costs are mounting daily.

While we debate the creation of another think tank, our economy bleeds value. The global AI market will hit $1.3 trillion by 2030. Countries with functioning AI ecosystems are seeing 25-40% productivity jumps across sectors. Our hesitation could cost us $120 billion in GDP.

Our vulnerability is uniquely severe. The $30 billion BPO industry employing 1.5 million Filipinos has nearly half its tasks vulnerable to automation. Only 23% of our workers have the digital skills needed for AI-augmented roles. Meanwhile, our best tech talent flees to countries actually building something.

The regional gap widens daily. Despite skepticism about our neighbors:

• Vietnam: $150M in AI training centers + Google/NVIDIA partnerships

• Thailand: $300M in dedicated innovation funding via "Thailand 4.0"

• Both: Creating AI industrial zones with meaningful tax incentives

We don't need more roadmaps. We need execution on:

1. National AI strategy with real funding

2. Complete education reform with AI literacy at all levels

3. Public-private partnerships that actually produce something

4. Computing infrastructure that makes development possible

Every day we spend "thinking" rather than building pushes us closer to permanent second-tier status – the "sari-sari store" of the regional economy while our neighbors build digital empires.

The Choice: Roadmaps or Results

The Philippines stands at a pivotal moment in its technological evolution. The gap between our potential and our reality grows with each passing day. While our neighbors execute, we deliberate. While they build, we plan.

"Wrong, so wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Can't emphasize how deeply misguided this is. What's scarce today is time, talent, and compute. A 'think tank' doesn't solve that. Instead, it represents a huge opportunity cost. It'll slow things down in the name of false conviction. By the time any meaningful output comes out of it, the world would've shifted again. If NEDA truly wants to help in ways that the private sector cannot, it should focus on building a lab. It should get into the arena, join the fight and shed blood, rather than put up a ladder to watch the action." — Oliver Segovia, Silicon Valley Filipino tech entrepreneur

This isn't about criticizing government initiatives for the sake of criticism. It's about recognizing the urgency of our situation. The global AI race waits for no nation, and the economic consequences of falling behind are already becoming apparent.

We have all the ingredients for success: brilliant Filipino engineers, entrepreneurs with global vision, and a young, adaptable population. What we lack is the infrastructure and framework to unleash them.

The path forward is clear: we must transform our approach from planning to building. We need compute resources accessible to our developers. We need regulatory sandboxes that encourage experimentation. We need education systems that teach AI literacy from elementary school through university.

Most importantly, we need to bring the builders into the room where decisions are made—not as token consultants, but as central architects of our national strategy.

The question isn't whether the Philippines can compete in the global AI landscape. The question is whether we'll choose to.

The roadmaps already exist. What we need now are results.