BUSAN, South Korea — President Marcos said his administration is determined to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) across government agencies “as much as we can, as soon as we can,” warning that waiting too long would mean missing out on opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

“You’re missing a chance if you wait,” Marcos told reporters here on Saturday evening, Nov. 1.

“AI is going to come. Parang alon ‘yan, eh. Kahit anong gawin mo, mababasa ka (AI is like a wave — no matter what you do, you’ll get wet),” he added.

The President said the Philippines must quickly learn how to use AI “in the best, secure, and benevolent way” to serve the public, warning that failure to adapt could leave the country behind.

“If you do not learn how to swim, if you do not learn how to use AI properly, may iwanan ka talaga (You’ll be left behind),” he said.

According to Marcos, AI’s rapid evolution makes it necessary for governments to study and apply the technology carefully.

“What AI can do one month ago is different from what AI will be able to do one month from now. That’s why people can’t quite understand it — it learns,” he said.

He described AI as “such a powerful tool” that could transform governance, public service, and economic competitiveness.

“You must take advantage of it as quickly as possible. You have to learn how to use it as quickly as possible,” the President said.

He added that other world leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) share the same sense of urgency.

“That’s one of my big takeaways from APEC. All the other leaders as well — they recognize how quickly AI will overwhelm us if we do not learn how to handle it properly,” he said.

Asked whether he plans to issue a directive guiding agencies on AI adoption, Marcos said it was too early to impose a blanket policy.

“It’s not yet clear what AI you use for government,” he said.

“Each department has a slightly different AI. We have to learn — we’re still studying,” he added.

The President said the government intends to consult both local and international experts to identify which applications of AI are most useful and which areas require caution.

“We have to talk to the experts — the whole world — and find out what does it do well, what doesn’t it do well,” he said.

Still, Marcos emphasized that AI adoption must be people-centered, helping Filipinos rather than replacing them.

“We have to learn how we can use it to best help our people,” he said.

“There are so many aspects to it that it really has to be studied very, very hard,” he added.

The President said AI could eventually be integrated into areas such as digital governance, economic planning, and social services — but only after careful study of its risks and benefits.

“We need to know where it is headed and where the dangerous areas are that we need to watch out for,” he said.

The two-day APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju highlighted artificial intelligence as a transformative tool for development, with member economies calling for cooperation in AI governance, ethics, and innovation.