DOST-ASTI trains University of Rizal System students, faculty in AI and Machine Learning
Participants from URS Tanay (above) and URS Morong (below), along with the Gul.ai Team, come together for a group photo to celebrate the successful completion of the AI Training.
Rizal, PH – Artificial intelligence (AI) has become deeply integrated into our daily lives, fundamentally transforming the way we work, communicate, and live. As AI continues to evolve, it is proving to be a revolutionary tool for solving complex real-world problems that often exceed human capabilities.
Recognizing the immense potential of this technology, the Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), through the Gul.ai Project, recently conducted a five-day AI training workshop for students and faculty at the University of Rizal System (URS).
Held from 23 to 27 September 2024 at the Tanay and Morong campuses, this training aimed to spark the participants’ interest in AI research and its applications across various fields by educating them on the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, and deep learning.
Mr. Christian James Barimbao gives an insightful introduction to Artificial Intelligence, outlining its history and potential application in various sectors.
The training began with an introduction to AI by Christian James Barimbao, Project Technical Assistant III, tracing the history of AI from its roots in the 1950s with classical rule-based systems to its evolution in the modern era characterized by the rise of machine learning. He highlighted AI’s potential applications in critical sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and education, laying the groundwork for participants to understand the relevance of AI in their respective fields.
Barimbao also discussed core machine learning tasks and how different algorithms are employed to perform these tasks, providing foundational knowledge necessary for engaging with AI systems.
Mr. Aunhel John Adoptante delves into the fundamentals of Deep Learning, providing the participants with a clear understanding of its key concepts and algorithms.
The training delved deeper into AI with a focus on deep learning, led by Aunhel John Adoptante, Science Research Specialist I. Adoptante explained how deep neural networks, inspired by the structure of the human brain, can process and analyze vast amounts of complex data through multiple layers of interconnected nodes. He demonstrated how these networks excel at recognizing patterns and making predictions, enabling applications such as fraud detection, facial recognition, and predictive analytics, among others.
Mr. Jeffrey Aborot, Project Leader of Gul.ai, conducts a live demonstration while guiding the participants through an engaging hands-on exercise that teaches them to solve a basic problem using machine learning algorithms.
To reinforce their learning, participants engaged in hands-on activities facilitated by Gul.ai Project Leader Jeffrey Aborot. The session started with an overview of the essential hardware, software and knowledge required for machine and deep learning engineering. Participants then applied this by working through exercises using Google Colaboratory and Jupyter Notebook, gaining practical experience in solving problems with machine learning and deep learning algorithms.
Given that agriculture is the flagship program of the Tanay campus, the Gul.ai team introduced the potential applications of AI to agriculture, specifically focusing on plant disease detection and animal science.
In a Q&A session, Adoptante emphasized the importance of equipping participants – current and future experts in their respective fields – with essential AI knowledge. He noted that even those outside the AI field can, and should, leverage it to solve challenges specific to their industries and domains.
This initiative is part of a long-standing partnership between DOST-ASTI and URS, established in 2020 to develop an AI- and IoT-assisted small-scale plant-growing and monitoring system under the Gul.ai Project.
To further promote the study of agriculture and its integration with information and communication technology (ICT), a laboratory-scale plantform prototype was deployed to the Tanay campus, alongside an end-user training to equip representatives and students with the skills to use and operate the Gul.ai system effectively.
As DOST-ASTI strengthens this collaboration, the focus remains on empowering students and domain experts with the tools, knowledge and skills to harness AI’s maximum potential. This training marks the beginning of a broader effort to advance technological literacy and drive innovative ICT solutions across various sectors, particularly in agriculture.