Pangilinan backs broader industry adoption of AI

METRO PACIFIC Investments Corp. (MPIC) Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan called on Philippine companies to further embrace artificial intelligence (AI) to remain globally competitive.

“AI is touted as this monumental technology that will forever alter the landscape of business. AI will be impactful. For us frontliners in the technology battlefield, it is simply another big challenge,” Mr. Pangilinan said during his keynote speech at the 77th Management Association of the Philippines Inaugural Meeting in Taguig City on Wednesday.

Mr. Pangilinan said the Philippines needs to address data, talent and expertise, and infrastructure issues to boost AI adoption.

“For AI to work, companies need to feed their algorithms vast caches of data, which must be complete, high-quality, and available. Talent and expertise are probably the scarcest resources because AI needs to be customized for particular business needs. Open-source solutions may not always work,” he said.

“(There is a need for) robust data networks and hyperscale data centers with humongous and ultra-fast computing capacities,” he added.

Mr. Pangilinan, who is also MPIC’s president and CEO, said workers should not be worried by greater AI adoption, citing its potential to transform employee roles.

“The end of one job often signals the beginning of another. AI reflects not just the rhythm of progress, it is the heartbeat of mankind. Humanity has never been shaped by the jobs we lose. Instead, we are defined by the future we create,” he said.

“Every generation, but especially those who come next — millennials, Gen Zs, alphas, and betas — are allies, not adversaries. AI with its immense power, is not an existential threat; it is a tool. Together, they form the scaffoldings of the next great cathedrals of progress,” he added.

Mr. Pangilinan said AI could also help address the Philippines’ food insecurity issues.

“Imagine if we could develop an end-to-end digital map of our nation’s food supply chain. We should know exactly which food items are consumed monthly per individual, how much are in inventory nationwide, how much are in transit, and what and where we produce or import our food items,” he said.

MPIC is one of the three key Philippine units of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority share in ����ý through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave