JA Asia Pacific AI Council: Shaping the Future of Work, Education, and Opportunity in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries, jobs, and the skills young people need to succeed. Yet, the recent Microsoft AI Economy Institute report shows a widening divide: adoption in the Global North grew over twice as fast as in the Global South. As a result, 27.5 percent of the working age population in the Global North is now using these tools, compared to only 15.4 percent in the Global South. 

To help bridge the gap between rapidly evolving technologies and education systems, JA Asia Pacific has established the JA Asia Pacific AI Council in 2026, in partnership with the JA Institute. The Council is helmed by a distinguished group of leaders from business, technology, education, government, and international development.

The Council is designed to serve as a trusted platform for collaboration, bringing together experts from organizations such as the World Bank Group, multinational corporations, and the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). Through this multi-stakeholder approach, the Council works to ensure that young people across Asia Pacific are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to thrive in an AI-driven future.

For JA Asia Pacific, this work is deeply connected to JA’s worldwide mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed. As AI reshapes the future of work, young people will need more than technical exposure. They will need the confidence to adapt, the judgment to use technology responsibly, the creativity to solve emerging problems, and the entrepreneurial mindset to create opportunity in a changing economy. The JA APAC AI Council, in partnership with the JA Institute, focuses on three key strategic priorities:

• Conducting research and analytical studies on how artificial intelligence is reshaping specific industries, job families, and necessary skills across Asia Pacific. This includes generating actionable insights that can inform policy, education, employer engagement, and youth workforce readiness. We are delighted to announce JA Asia Pacific AI Council’s collaboration with the Ecosystm Group to produce our first insights report. Ecosystm Group is a global research and consulting firm headquartered in Singapore, that empowers organizations to navigate the digital age with confidence.

• Developing future-ready curricula and learning experiences that combine co-working with AI, industry knowledge, entrepreneurship, and work-readiness skills for schools, universities, and youth-serving organizations. These learning pathways will help young people become both AI-ready and AI-relevant across diverse career pathways.

• Preparing teachers, educators, and corporate mentors at scale to effectively deliver AI-related learning and connect students with real-world industry expertise. By strengthening educator and mentor capacity, JA Asia Pacific aims to support education systems as they respond to the demands of an AI-enabled world.

By convening industry leaders, educators, policymakers, universities, development institutions, and employers, the Council aims to strengthen the alignment between education systems and the future needs of the workforce. Its work will generate evidence-based insights, inform curriculum development, elevate youth perspectives, and create stronger pathways from education to employment in emerging AI-enabled economies.

The Council’s work will be advanced through upcoming strategic platforms. Together, these initiatives reflect JA Asia Pacific’s belief that AI education should not be limited to technical instruction. It must help young people understand how technology is changing economies and workplaces, while building the human capabilities that remain essential in every future: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, ethical decision-making, adaptability, and enterprise.

The APAC AI Council also aims to connect global development perspectives with regional action. Across Asia Pacific, young people experience different levels of access, connectivity, and opportunity. The Council will help ensure that digital transformation and AI create inclusive opportunities across both emerging and developed economies, supporting strong governance, relevant education, and practical pathways into the future of work.

Together with the JA Institute, the Council’s work will be further amplified by strengthening research, curriculum development, educator training, certification models, impact measurement, and regional thought leadership. This will help translate insight into practice and practice into scalable impact across JA’s regional network.

As a trusted thought leader and neutral convener, JA Asia Pacific is committed to helping shape an inclusive AI future, one in which every young person has the opportunity to develop the skills, confidence, and adaptability needed to succeed, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to society.

JA Asia Pacific AI Council Members

As of July 2026, the JA Asia Pacific AI Council membership comprises:

·        Stephen Barnham

·        Professor Stella Christie

·        Mahesh Uttamchandani

·        Cathy Knezevic

·        Amit Gupta

·        Padma Shri Gowri Ishwaran

·        Dr Kessara Amornvuthivorn

·        Abhijit Ghosh

·        Sam Majid