PLDT urges AI adoption to boost Philippine job market and productivity

PLDT Inc. is framing artificial intelligence as a tool for expansion rather than a threat to employment, calling on workers and businesses to adapt to the technology to secure their future.

PLDT chief operating officer and chief technology officer Menardo Jimenez Jr. cited the necessity for a shift in mindset as AI becomes integrated into daily operations. He said that while the technology is often viewed as a disruptor, it offers a pathway to protect and diversify roles for those willing to learn.

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“AI is going to happen, whether we like it or not,” Jimenez said.

“The real question is how we respond. If we embrace it and learn how to use it, AI can help protect or diversify your job, open new opportunities, and make people more productive,” he said.

While high-level industrial AI requires significant capital, Jimenez pointed out that many accessible tools like transcription apps and productivity software are already affordable.

These technologies allow small businesses and individual creators to condense workflows that previously took days into minutes, effectively lowering the barriers to entry for entrepreneurs.

The executive said the primary challenge is helping the public identify which tools are most effective for their specific needs and providing the confidence to implement them.

To support this transition, the PLDT Group has invested heavily in AI-ready infrastructure. The company recently launched VITRO Sta. Rosa in Laguna, which serves as the first hyperscale data center in the country specifically designed for AI workloads.

PLDT Chairman Manuel Pangilinan and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the facility in 2025.

The Laguna site also hosts Pilipinas AI, the first sovereign AI solutions stack in the Philippines. The platform allows local enterprises to deploy AI applications without the need to build private infrastructure, ensuring that sensitive data remains hosted within national borders to maintain security and sovereignty.

Broadening this reach to smaller entities, PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. introduced the AI-in-a-Box initiative in 2025. The program delivers connectivity, training, and technical support to schools, local government units, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises across the archipelago, from Baguio to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, it said.

The company said that by providing the physical infrastructure and localized training, it aims to ensure that 100 percent of the population has the opportunity to participate in the burgeoning digital economy.

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