Didith Rodrigo is first Asian woman to lead global AI education society

Maria Mercedes "Didith" Rodrigo, a computer science professor at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, has been elected president of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) Society, the global body for researchers who study how artificial intelligence can be used in teaching and learning. She is the first Asian woman to be elected to lead the society, according to the university and reports published on October 27, 2026. She will serve as president-elect until her term as president runs from 2027 to 2029.

Artificial intelligence in education is one of the fastest-moving areas of technology. Schools and universities around the world are deciding how far to let AI tutors, chatbots and automated marking into classrooms, and what rules should protect students. The International AIED Society brings together the researchers who test these tools, publish the evidence and set the direction for the field. Its president helps decide what research gets attention, which questions are asked and whose voices are heard.

Rodrigo's election puts a woman researcher from South-East Asia at the head of a global research community, at a time when many countries, including in Asia, are deciding how AI tools should be used in schools and universities. Her own work is in the learning sciences, the study of how people learn, which is the ground on which claims about AI tutors and chatbots have to be tested. Having a leader from outside the field's traditional centres may widen the range of classrooms and students that research in the field considers.

Her path also shows how leadership is often built over a long time. She has been part of the society since 2007, served on its Executive Committee from 2021 and was renewed in 2026 before being elected to lead it. For women in technology and research, that is a reminder that steady work inside professional communities, not only big individual breakthroughs, can lead to the top positions.

For Indian readers, the news is relevant because India too is debating how AI should be used in its schools and colleges, and Indian researchers and women in technology are part of the same global research community that Rodrigo will lead.

Short-term: As president-elect, Rodrigo will work with the society's current leadership to prepare for her term and its conferences and programmes.

Long-term: Her presidency may bring more attention to research on AI in education in Asia and other developing regions, and may encourage more women and researchers from these regions to take leadership roles in the field.

Who is affected: Researchers in AI and education worldwide; students and teachers who will use AI tools shaped by this research; universities in Asia; and women building careers in computer science.

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