A Filipino professor from Ateneo de Manila University has been elected president of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education (IAIED) Society, the first Asian woman to hold the post, according to the university.
Dr. Maria Mercedes "Didith" T. Rodrigo will lead the IAIED Society from 2027 to 2029, according to a press release issued on October 15, 2026, by Ateneo de Manila University's Research Communications Section.
A Milestone for Ateneo and the Philippines
The IAIED Society counts more than 1,500 members across 40 countries, bringing together researchers at the intersection of computer science, education, and psychology, according to Ateneo. Its membership includes scholars from institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pennsylvania, University College London, and the University of Hong Kong.
Ateneo de Manila University described Dr. Rodrigo's election as a milestone not only for the university but for the Philippines as a whole. She has been a member of the IAIED since 2007 — nearly two decades of active engagement with the global AI-in-education research community.
Who Is Dr. Didith Rodrigo
Dr. Rodrigo is a professor in Ateneo's Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS). She also serves as head of the university's Laboratory for the Learning Sciences and co-head of the Ateneo Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Lab.
Her research spans AI in education, learning analytics, and educational games, with a particular focus on AI and equity — specifically, how teachers, learners, and schools in countries like the Philippines can benefit from AI.
According to Ateneo, Dr. Rodrigo regards the AIED community as highly influential on her work and career, and sees the presidency as an opportunity to serve the community that has opened many doors for her.
Research on AI Equity in Philippine Public Schools
A significant portion of Dr. Rodrigo's recent work has examined the practical realities of AI adoption in Philippine classrooms. In 2024, she and fellow researcher May Marie P. Talandron-Felipe conducted a study in partnership with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
The study involved interviews with 48 Philippine public-school teachers . According to the Ateneo press release, the researchers found that teachers expressed genuine enthusiasm for AI tools but reported limited knowledge of how to use them, insufficient equipment in their schools, and connectivity problems.
Rodrigo and Talandron-Felipe recommended sustained training, suitable tools, and continued human involvement in decisions, which Ateneo describes as practical requirements for making AI useful in classrooms with limited resources.
A Society Connecting Global AI Education Research
The IAIED Society brings together experts working on the research and development of AI-based learning interventions and environments that support learners, teachers, and educational institutions.
Her term, from 2027 to 2029, places a Filipino researcher at the helm of that international network. Ateneo says she will bring Philippine expertise in AI and educational equity to efforts to improve learning, support teachers, and help under-resourced schools benefit from emerging technologies.
By the Numbers
- 1,500+ members in the IAIED Society
- 40 countries represented in the society's membership
- 48 Philippine public-school teachers interviewed in the 2024 EDCOM 2 study
- 2007 — the year Dr. Rodrigo first joined the IAIED Society
- 2027–2029 — her term as IAIED president
Why This Matters
Dr. Rodrigo's election as the first Asian woman to lead the IAIED Society puts a Filipino researcher at the head of an international society with members in 40 countries. Her work directly addresses the gap between AI's potential and its practical limitations in under-resourced schools, the same constraints her 2024 interviews with public-school teachers documented.
Photo: Ateneo de Manila University (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)