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Aris Ignacio Is Teaching Students to Use Technology Responsibly

As dean of an IT and engineering college, Dr. Aris Ignacio trains the next generation of IT and engineering graduates. His college teaches artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data science, and in 2026 he became the regional voice of Asia-Pacific internet users at ICANN.

By BPO AI Editorial Team· Last updated: November 4, 2026

Dr. Aris Ignacio, Dean, College of Information Technology and Engineering, Southville International School affiliated with Foreign Universities · Photograph: Southville

On 18 May 2026, ICANN's At-Large staff announced that Dr. Aris Ignacio had been chosen as Chair of APRALO, the Asian, Australasian and Pacific Islands Regional At-Large Organization, by acclamation. The group speaks for internet users across the region inside ICANN, the body that coordinates the internet's domain names. His term runs until 2028.

Most days, though, Ignacio's work is closer to home. He is Dean of the College of Information Technology and Engineering at Southville International School affiliated with Foreign Universities (SISFU), where he prepares students for jobs in which AI is now part of the toolkit. His message to students today: learn the technology, and learn to use it well.

“It is our duty to open the eyes of this generation to teach them to use technology responsibly and for the good of all.”

Dr. Aris Ignacio / Southville, June 2025

2018the year his college added an AI specialization to its IT degree, with Acer
3future-ready tracks: AI and machine learning, cybersecurity, and data science
4thPhilippine Youth Internet Governance Forum, hosted by his college in May 2025
2026–28his term as APRALO Chair

Sources: Newsbytes.PH (June 2018), Southville (June 2025), Southville (May 2025) and APRALO.

The origin

An early bet on AI

Ignacio's college moved into artificial intelligence well before generative AI became a household term. In June 2018, Newsbytes.PH reported that Southville had added an AI specialization to its information technology degree in partnership with Acer. Two months later the school held what it called its first International Forum on Real-Life Applications for Artificial Intelligence Technology, where he was among the speakers, according to Southville.

At the time he described the aim in workplace terms. "Southville IT degree holders will be equipped with the knowledge and confidence that will help them transform an organization into a more innovative, efficient and sustainable one," he said, as reported by Newsbytes.PH in June 2018.

“We aim to build well-rounded, tech-smart leaders who understand their role in shaping the digital world.” Dr. Aris Ignacio, June 2025

By 2025 the college offered three specialist tracks: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Information and Cybersecurity, and Data Science and Business Analytics, with industry partners including Oracle, AWS, Acer and Huawei, according to a June 2025 Southville article. In it, Ignacio set out the kind of graduate he wants to produce: "We aim to build well-rounded, tech-smart leaders who understand their role in shaping the digital world and who carry strong values as they explore the exciting future of technology."

Engineering for an automated industry

In November 2024, Southville announced a new BS Industrial Engineering program in his college. Ignacio tied it directly to automation. "Together with our BS Computer Engineering program, we are providing our students with know-how of modern technologies, such as automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence, that meet the demands of today's high-tech industry," he said.

His students also do applied research. In June 2025, Southville reported that a student and faculty team from his college was developing a driver-assistance system that warns of collisions and recognizes traffic signs from dashcam footage.

A voice for young internet users

Outside the classroom, Ignacio has spent years bringing students into the rooms where internet policy is made. His college hosts IN2ITION, the Philippine Youth Internet Governance Forum. After the fourth edition in May 2025, he said: "Seeing our youth take charge in shaping the future of the internet reaffirms our belief in education's power to transform communities."

“I also believe that whatever we achieve as APRALO is always a shared effort.”

Dr. Aris Ignacio / APAC-Discuss mailing list, May 2026

The measure

Responsible use, not just skills

For Ignacio, teaching technology has never been only about technical skill. In the same June 2025 article, he framed it as a responsibility: "It is our duty to open the eyes of this generation to teach them to use technology responsibly and for the good of all."

Room for new voices

He brought a similar idea to his regional work. In his statement accepting the nomination for APRALO Chair, posted to the APAC-Discuss mailing list on 4 May 2026, he said he hoped "to contribute in ways that are practical and meaningful by keeping APRALO's voice present in policy discussions, strengthening how we work together across the region and with other RALOs, and creating more space for emerging voices, especially among our youth and newer members."

Many stakeholders

He has long argued that young people belong in those conversations. Back in 2019, after taking a group of students to the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum in Vladivostok, where he spoke on a panel that covered the ethical side of artificial intelligence, he said: "The collaboration of each multistakeholder especially the youth will create major developments in the field."

What comes next

Where his work is going

As APRALO Chair until 2028, Ignacio represents internet users across Asia-Pacific in ICANN's policy work, while continuing to lead his college. Both roles connect technology education with how the internet is governed.

For employers, including BPO companies hiring IT talent, his college offers specialist training in AI, data and cybersecurity, with responsible use taught alongside the skills.

The lesson for BPO leaders is a practical one. Talk to the deans who train your future hires. Tell them which AI skills your teams need, and ask how their students are learning to use those tools responsibly.

AI helped draft this article. The BPO.AI editorial desk reviewed and edited it, and checked every fact against its original source.

BPO Leaders is written by executives from BPO companies, in their own words. Our editorial desk sends you a topic.Write for bpo leaders

An early bet on AI

Engineering for an automated industry

A voice for young internet users

Responsible use, not just skills

Where his work is going

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