ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC) Philippines chairperson Joey Concepcion warned about the threats and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, and pushed for upscaling Filipino workers’ skills to keep their jobs.
Joey Concepcion (Photo from Go Negosyo/ Facebook)
Concepcion, also the Go Negosyo founder, talked about the “immense opportunities” and “threats” of AI during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
He was part of President Marcos’ delegation for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week in San Francisco, California.
“The acceleration of our artifical intelligence is just so fast that jobs in this sector could be threatened and it’s very important for our people to upscale. We have to upscale our people just in case, eventually, these jobs will just be given to the machines,” the official, who is the private sector lead for jobs, said.
Noting that AI “is really accelerating at phenomenal phase,” Concepcion underscored the importance for Filipinos to continue being employed despite the rise in AI systems and devices.
In particular, he warned about the impact of AI on the country’s BPO sector.
“And BPO is another sector that can be disrupted,” Concepcion stressed.
To address this, Concepcion discussed that the Marcos administration is bent on not only helping Filipinos get jobs, but also provide opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“We have to extend that helping hand in other words in terms of providing mentors, providing access to capital, and providing access to market,” he added.
The United States, he said, can help in this regard since the country is leading the way in digitalization and many of the platforms and innovations available to MSMEs come from the US.
“So, it’s very important that we strengthen our partnership with America. All of these technologies will actually allow a more inclusive Philippine economy.”
Meanwhile, he also hailed the $672-million in investment pledges that Marcos’ recent US trip yielded, saying that many of American entrepreneurs are creating a platform “that will allow greater inclusivity.”
As president and chief executive officer of RFM Corp.’, Concepcion understands that MSMEs have “a challenging atmosphere” to compete with bigger companies.
But platforms and other innovations are providing opportunities for MSMEs to access different markets, he said.