FRAMEwork at 4: Communication Scholarship Meets the AI Question

The 4th FRAMEwork: Asia-Pacific Communication Conference gathered scholars, practitioners, and students on March 26 and 27, 2026, at the International Convention Center of Cavite State University in Indang, Cavite, carrying a question that now confronts nearly every communication classroom, newsroom, agency, and research space: Is artificial intelligence a troubleshooter or a troublemaker? 

Organized by Far Eastern University (FEU) and co-hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Communication of Cavite State University (CVSU), the conference marked an important milestone as FRAMEwork held its first edition outside the FEU. This expansion signaled the platform’s growing reach as a scholarly and professional space for communication scholarship and education in Asia-Pacific. 

The annual event brought together scholars, practitioners, and students to examine how artificial intelligence is transforming communication and media. The theme was deliberately framed as a provocation. AI is no longer a distant technology to be observed from the margins. It is already shaping how messages are produced, how publics are studied, how stories are told, how campaigns are designed, and how classrooms are managed. 

Across two days, FRAMEwork brought together 268 attendees on Day 1 and 272 attendees on Day 2, including organizers, presenters, students, and guests across the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific Region, reflecting sustained engagement as well as strong national and international participation.

The opening day set the tone for the conference. Dr. Andrew Prahl discussed how AI-driven systems are reshaping organizational systems, infrastructures, and research practices in Southeast Asia, while Dr. Ma. Rosel San Pascual underscored the need for approaches that are responsive, responsible, and reflexive amid the rise of AI. Together, the keynote sessions located AI within two pressing concerns: institutional change and ethical scholarly responsibility. 

The program continued with a roundtable discussion and special lectures that examined AI’s role across industries and fields of practice. Sessions covered creative work, public relations, social and humanitarian initiatives, and the shifting conditions of communication labor. While AI enables data-driven decision-making, content generation, and audience engagement, speakers emphasized that human judgment, creativity, and ethical discernment remain central to communication work. The role of communicators, they noted, is evolving toward adaptive, interdisciplinary skill sets anchored in both technical competence and critical thinking.

In one plenary session, Jamela Alindogan, FEU Communication alumna and Al Jazeera correspondent, reminded participants, “Let AI aid us, not replace us.” Her point placed human expertise at the center of the discussion, especially in fields where presence, context, and discernment remain necessary. Dr. Joeven Castro, FEU Vice President for Student Development and Continuing Education, reinforced this by noting that “communication schools must focus on curation and taste,” a reminder that the effective use of AI depends not only on access to tools, but on the ability to judge, select, refine, and contextualize. 

The day concluded with a roundtable discussion on the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. Discussants and participants explored strategies including media literacy, institutional guidelines, and the use of AI itself as a tool for verification and resistance against online deception. A networking session encouraged collaboration among participants and partner institutions, creating a venue where communication schools, practitioners, and researchers build continuing relationships. 

On Day 2, Dr. Augustus Ceasar Latosa, co-convener of the conference and faculty member of the FEU Department of Communication, opened the program with a synthesis of the first day’s discussions. His recap situated AI not only as a technological development, but as a continuing challenge to communication systems, pedagogies, and professional judgment. 

The series of AI-related conversations continued with the plenary talk of Dr. Alvin William Alvarez of CvSU who said that AI was “definitely not a troublemaker” especially in the context of scientific discourse, but cautioned also on the issues of accuracy, reliability, misuse, and the continuing need for human verification. Dr. Changsong Wang of Xiamen University Malaysia examined in his plenary session how AI was changing creative workflows in filmmaking. The discussion placed attention on storytelling, production practice, and the changing relationship between human imagination and machine-assisted tools. Day 2 capped with the plenary session delivered by Dr. Marco Polo of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas who explored how AI and emerging technologies may enhance classroom engagement and support learning outcomes, while also reminding educators that tools must remain anchored on pedagogy. 

Parallel sessions across both days featured a wide range of research presentations examining AI in such areas as digital marketing, education, journalism, governance, and community communication. These sessions provided a platform for emerging and established scholars to present empirical studies and theoretical reflections, fostering dialogue on how AI is shaping communication landscapes at multiple levels.

Closing the conference, FRAMEwork lead convener and FEU Vice-President for Corporate Affairs Dr. Rowena Capulong-Reyes extended her gratitude to the organizers, guests, volunteers, and participants who made the conference remarkably successful. She also announced that the 5^th FRAMEwork Conference would explore crisis communication as a fitting theme that highlights the crucial role of communication amidst global chaos, instability, and uncertainty.

The conference was held in collaboration with a wide network of academic and professional partners. Local partners included the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), National University Dasmariñas, University of the Philippines Diliman, University of the Philippines Mindanao, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Visayas State University, the Asian Network for Public Opinion Research (ANPOR), the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), and the PUP PhD Communication Society.

International partners included Amity University Haryana, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, and the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.