Experts tell Cebu biz groups to ditch AI best practices for ‘reinvention’

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

An executive of the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines says that businesses can benefit greatly from building ecosystems that both encourages and handles challenges brought by AI technologies

CEBU, Philippines – Organizations should focus on reinventing work instead of dwelling on so-called best practices in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), Accenture Country Managing Director for the Philippines Ambe Tierro told Cebu’s business leaders during the GSummit event hosted by Globe Business in Cebu City on Thursday, July 10.

“In my company, I have forbidden the phrase: best practices…best practices are about the past. It’s about doing things better. But in the age of AI, the key is to reimagine how we will do this with an open mind,” Tierro said. 

For Tierro, no job will be left untouched with the rise of AI, noting significant changes that may affect the operations aspect of businesses. But Tierro clarified that the ways businesses can reinvent processes are “boundaryless,” and he added that people should still learn to collaborate and work together.

Tierro said that talent should be at the center of the reinvention strategy. 

This comes as more Philippines-based businesses begin to use artificial intelligence for digital services. Experts have urged businesses to take a careful approach to AI use, stressing the need for human intervention.

Michelle Alarcon, president of the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines, highlighted the importance of gathering relevant data and analytics to inform AI transition and adoption. 

She said that it is important that the organization transitions with AI technology, and should put effort into building ecosystems that both encourages and handles challenges brought by technologies like AI.

TO DISRUPT. Michelle Alarcon, President of the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines, urges businesses to adopt educated approaches in AI use.

Globe Business Vice President and Head of Business Development and Sales Glenn Estrella said businesses are faced with the option of disrupting themselves or having a competitor come out of nowhere to upend their business.

To overcome the challenges, Estrella shared how Globe partnered with Facebook in 2013 to offer free mobile access to the social media platform. At this time, data showed that 70% of their users accessed Facebook via Wi-Fi. 

“We wanted to be a leader in mobile data, but it meant giving it for free, which meant capitalizing a relatively, not so large, but a relatively solid revenue base for mobile data. But we went ahead with it anyway, addressing customer experience and so on, and the rest is history,” Estrella said.

The vice president said they moved to number one on mobile and “every partner from Silicon Valley wanted to work with” Globe.

With the rise of new tech, Estrella explained that by integrating AI in Globe’s customer care and support, the business benefited from reduced in-store visits, leading to “faster return times and more scalable customer service.”

“So, let’s be clear. We are not replacing people with AI. We are uniquely people with AI,” Estrella said.  – Rappler.com