Co-founders share bold vision for the Philippines as a global AI hub
In an era defined by digital transformation, a new frontier in governance and community engagement is being paved by AIRA Labs, a mission-driven tech company founded by Jason Dela Rosa and Karl Del Val. Their latest innovation, the AIRA Command Center, is poised to change the way local government units (LGUs), corporations, and civic institutions gather data, understand citizen sentiment, and make critical decisions. At the heart of it all: artificial intelligence (AI) designed for impact.
“This is not just tech for tech’s sake,” said Jason Dela Rosa, who describes the venture as the fulfillment of a long-held vision. “Launching AIRA Labs is the fulfillment of one of my dreams—impactology for the Philippines—using technology to move the country forward in development.”
At its core, the AIRA Command Center functions as an AI-powered dashboard built on natural language processing, GPS mapping, and real-time data analysis. It accepts incident reports from citizens via voice or text—complete with images, videos, and location data—and processes them using sentiment analysis and predictive modeling. The system then generates actionable insights that leaders can use to craft immediate, informed responses.
“We want to move away from surface-level AI,” Dela Rosa emphasized. “We’re integrating it deeply into processes and ways of thinking—into governance itself. Imagine LGUs using data and AI not just to understand what’s happening, but to know what’s coming.”
The Command Center supports a wide array of features: intelligent dashboards, a multilingual AI assistant named AIRA, real-time survey tools, and advanced mapping systems that show incidents by categories—crime, health, sanitation, or even customized domains like food security or local tourism. The result is a 360-degree view of a community’s pulse.
“We had support from different agencies within the government,” shared Karl Del Val, citing how partnerships with public institutions made the rapid development of the Command Center possible. “That enabled us to quickly build and roll out AI solutions.”
Indeed, government support is central to AIRA Labs’ trajectory. The founders shared they’ve been having “very encouraging discussions with the government,” particularly regarding the country’s push toward digitization and AI adoption.
The AI doesn’t just react—it predicts. The Command Center’s incident predictive analysis feature can forecast crime, disease outbreaks, and even climate-related risks using historical and real-time data. “This kind of AI is built to anticipate, not just analyze,” explained Del Val.
It’s this commitment to forward-thinking that positions AIRA Labs at the forefront of tech for public good. But perhaps what sets them apart is their clear focus on ethical, inclusive AI. As Del Val stated, “We’re advocating the good use of artificial intelligence, especially in nation building. AI should serve the vision of improving lives.”
AIRA Labs envisions the Philippines becoming a hub for AI excellence in Southeast Asia. “AI Pilipinas is very bright,” said Dela Rosa confidently. “We can become one of the centers of excellence in AI in Southeast Asia—if not the greater Asian region.”
As of writing, pilot deployments of the AIRA Command Center are underway in selected LGUs and private sector partners. Early feedback has been promising, particularly in areas of disaster response and public health. Several communities have already used the system to identify flooding risks and track public complaints, with reports suggesting decision-making timelines have shortened from weeks to hours.
At the heart of AIRA Labs’ operations is the strict adherence to Republic Act 10173, more widely known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Atty. Perez-Bariuan’s primary mandate is to ensure that all data collection activities—especially those related to the lab’s AI innovations—are fully compliant with national data privacy laws. This includes a robust legal framework that balances technological progress with the ethical management of sensitive personal information.
Looking ahead, AIRA Labs is focused on scaling its technology across various sectors—health, security, education, agriculture, and business intelligence.
For Dela Rosa and Del Val, this is just the beginning. “We feel that AIRA Labs is the company that can support and help them—the government, communities, organizations—become future-ready,” said Del Val. “This is our contribution to nation-building: technology with heart, guided by purpose.”
Watch related videos regarding this event that took place on 23 April 2025 at Makati City for the official launch of AIRA Labs.
From dream to deployment, AIRA Labs is showing what’s possible when innovation is anchored in service. Through AI, they’re not just imagining the future—they’re building it.
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