AI poses threat to Philippine BPO jobs, says business leader

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Artificial intelligence (AI) poses a threat to some jobs in the Philippine Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, warned ASEAN Business Advisory Council Philippines Chairperson Joey Concepcion.
During a recent briefing, Concepcion said that AI acceleration today “is just so fast that jobs in [the BPO] sector could be threatened.”
To address this, Concepcion emphasized the urgent need to upskill BPO workers to ensure continued employment amidst the AI revolution.
He also advocated government help for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by providing mentors, improving access to capital, and expanding market reach.
Concepcion believes strengthening the US-Philippine partnership is vital, as American AI and digital platforms can help local MSMEs. Upskilling MSMEs is key to making their businesses more resilient to AI disruption, he concluded.
Concepcion was part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s delegation at the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.