MANILA — The Philippines’ business process outsourcing (BPO) industry could give artificial intelligence companies an entry point into the country, although many prospective customers remain unsure how the technology can support their operations, executives said.

The industry is among the country’s largest sources of private-sector employment and services exports, and its high-volume customer interactions are a key part of its appeal to AI vendors seeking an entry point.

Wilson Chua, chairman of the AI Vision Forum Manila 2026 held on October 28, identified BPO companies as among the businesses where AI could be adopted more readily, citing applications in customer service.

He estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the businesses his team engages with are still trying to understand what AI can do for them.

“Most of them, when we talk with them, they want to apply the AI into their company. So they want to know how,” Chua said.

The Philippines’ services industry and its young, educated workforce influenced the decision to make the country the forum’s second stop after Malaysia, he said.

AI Vision Global Alliance Limited, the event’s organizer, described the Philippines as a “priority market,” citing its outsourcing industry and the companies undergoing digital transformation.

The Manila edition, held at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig, featured seven AI platforms and eight cloud partners, with teams on hand to discuss businesses’ requirements, costs and deployment timelines.

Some businesses still view AI as costly or difficult to use, according to Chua. Speakers recommended starting with specific tasks, such as answering customer inquiries or supporting marketing, before expanding its use.

Applications discussed included systems that respond to messages and phone calls and refer requests to human employees. One example involved small businesses using Viber groups to coordinate sales, customer service and customer requests. Chua said AI could help identify inquiries and prepare summaries of conversations for managers.

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Among the participating providers was Soric, whose CustomerOps system answers calls and consolidates conversations from WhatsApp, Viber and Messenger, according to organizers.

The group said AI systems intended for Philippine businesses must handle multiple languages and fit into existing operations, as many companies use English and Filipino and serve customers overseas.

Other platforms focused on website creation, search visibility, content production and app development. A3SEO, headed by Chief Executive Isaac Liu, was presented as a system that builds websites and generates content to help businesses reach customers. Other participants included HowOne, R2Y2, RunLink, Duck Reels and A3SEO’s TRXY platform.

The program also listed cloud providers including Alibaba Cloud, Cloudflare, Huawei Cloud and Oracle.

The forum was organized by AI Vision Global Alliance Limited together with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hangzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute.

The series began in Kuala Lumpur on August 4, drawing more than 150 industry leaders, technology providers and investors, according to organizers. Editions in Barcelona and Hong Kong are planned, with more Southeast Asian stops to be announced.

Reporting by Dawn Solano for BusinessWorld.