As technologies rapidly develop to spur new opportunities along with heightened risks, PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications is leading the call to promote and practice responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the corporate sector. 

During the MVP-Groupwide Annual Corporate Governance Enhancement Session, PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio shared that "in an increasingly interconnected world, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we operate, with opportunities to enhance efficiencies, improve customer experiences, ensure data accuracy, and rationalize costs.” 

“It is not enough to merely adopt AI – we must do so with a deep sense of ethics and responsibility. We need to safeguard customer and employee rights, uphold privacy and security, and champion diversity and inclusivity. Corporate governance principles must be at the core of the adoption of every new technology," he added. 

Panlilio was joined by other leaders including: First Pacific Executive Vice President and General Counsel Atty Fiona W.M. Chiu; Maya and Makati Medical Center Independent Director Paco Sandejas; Maynilad Water Services Inc. CIO Francisco Castillo; and PLDT and Smart FVP and Head of Group Corporate Communications Cathy Yap-Yang in the ACGES program. 

The 17th ACGES gathered officials of companies belonging to the MVP Group led by prominent businessman Manny V. Pangilinan to discuss and establish rules and systems to manage and secure industries against the dangers posed by AI. 

The event aimed to serve as a training and learning session for business heads on best practices for corporate governance, with talks surrounding the "value of technological evolution to human interaction, the role of companies in ensuring that AI technology keeps customers’ data protected in the face of more varied data collection, and that there is integrity and accountability in transactions, that interactions are cyber-secure, respectful of law and good customs, and the spirit of competition will remain alive in all of us," as described by Independent Director Retired Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban. 

Participating firms aside from PLDT and Smart were Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC), Manila Electric Company (Meralco), Maynilad, Maya, Philex Mining Corporation, PXP Energy Corporation, the MVP Group Hospitals and Tollways, and Hongkong-based First Pacific Company Ltd. 

Atty. Edsel F. Tupaz, partner at Gorriceta Africa Cauton & Saavedra also presented a survey on Global Developments in AI Standards and Regulations during the conference, along with AI researcher and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Max Tegmark who served as the event's special guest. 

Tegmark shared his advocacy for International and multisectoral collaboration, the establishment of global standards to guide AI development, as well as regulatory frameworks that can provide roadmaps for businesses and researchers to facilitate ethical progress. 

“The big reason why people are nervous about artificial general intelligence is because we really don't have a good plan on how to make it safe or how to control it. But if we can understand these systems better, which I think we can, we will be able to do this,” he said.