Senator Villanueva pushes for AI training fund for state university faculty

Senator Joel Villanueva has urged state universities and colleges (SUCs) to secure funding for artificial intelligence training for faculty members, warning that students are increasingly becoming more proficient than their professors in using generative AI tools.

Speaking before SUC presidents and officials during the 2026 Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) Annual Convention at the SMX Convention Center, Villanueva said the rapid advancement of AI has outpaced the ability of educators to keep up.

"Sometimes, students are already ahead of their teachers, especially in generative AI,” Villanueva told SUC presidents and officials.

The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education stressed that the challenge is not lack of competence among teachers but the speed technology is evolving.

He added that continuous training and upskilling of academic staff remains a policy gap as far as AI is concerned.

"I hope we can work together to find ways to fund AI training for our SUC faculty," Villanueva said.

He said higher education institutions must prepare students for careers that do not yet exist, citing Simon Sinek's concept of an "infinite mindset." He cited Nokia and Kodak as examples of companies that failed to adapt to technological change.

Villanueva also referred to management theorist Peter Drucker's 1997 prediction that university campuses would become "relics" within 30 years, saying the more pressing issue as that timeline approaches is whether higher education institutions have remained relevant.

He described today's environment as "VUCA"—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—which he said was the basis for the ₱2-million allocation for a Futures Thinking Research Program for selected SUCs under the 2026 national budget. The initiative, which he and Senator Pia Cayetano advocated, forms part of the ₱1.3-trillion education budget approved by Congress.

"In such a world, the future will not wait for us," Villanueva said. "Our state universities and colleges must anticipate change, shape it, and lead it."