IT-BPM readies investments on artificial intelligence

MANILA -- The Philippines’ Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry is readying investments on artificial intelligence (AI) to seize opportunities from digital technology.

Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) President Jojo Uligan said on the sidelines of International ITBPM Summit Tuesday that IT-BPM firms stand ready whenever clients would demand for AI to increase productivity and improve efficiency.

Uligan said the introduction of AI into their businesses both comes from the industry and the clients.

“What happens to us is our clients shifted and adopted this new technology,” he said.

He added that some companies are offering the AI to their clients as upgraded services since it could improve customer experience, faster response time, and increase productivity.

“Where everyone is shifting the way they do business, all these digital transformation, digital journey of clients, it is very important for us to be ready. When the customers wanted it, we can do it,” the CCAP official stressed.

But since companies will be heavily investing in AI, it is expected that it will initially slowdown firms’ profitability.

“Our profitability will definitely go down before it goes up because we will be investing on technology, on people,” Uligan said.

He added that the ITBPM industry, particularly the contact center segment, is pushing for initiatives in re-tooling, re-skilling, and re-educating its talents as the industry moves into AI.

Uligan said that with AI, those transactional and repetitive type of work would be automated; hence, the need to upgrade the skills of talents who are doing those jobs.

“Those people, it will also be the first priority for us in terms of that re-tooling, re-skilling, re-educating them in terms of technology,” Uligan said. (PNA)