While Philippine companies are keen on taking advantage of the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), adoption is stymied by barriers like lack of financial and technical capacity and poor infrastructure.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said at the launch of the
AI Coalition yesterday, the Philippines has the potential to be one of the AI Centers for Excellence in the world in the region by leveraging on its rich talent pool, as well as our vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Department of Trade and Industry’s 2019 Survey on Technology Utilization Status of Manufacturing Firms in the Philippines revealed that 7 out of 10 micro enterprises, and 6 out of 10 small and medium enterprises are open or familiar with Industry 4.0,
“But even as there is an increase in use of AI and other Industry 4.0 technologies, our industries have yet to harness the benefits of such technologies and overcome key challenges to their adoption,” Lopez said.
Lopez said Oxford Insights placed the Philippines 50th in terms of readiness to take advantage of the benefits brought about by AI in 2019 and third in Asean in terms of the government’s readiness for AI. TRPC Consulting ranked the Philippines 6th out of 7 countries in Asia- Pacific Readiness Index with consumer readiness its strongest suit.
Lopez said the Department of Trade and Industry hopes to implement by 2021 an AI roadmap for industry covering the agribusiness, manufacturing, and services industries to support them in addressing barriers to AI adoption.
The DTI aims to formulate Industry 4.0 roadmaps for the automotive, aerospace, agribusiness, electronics and semiconductor industries.
DTI also plans to establish an Industry 4.0 Pilot Factory, which would serve as a demonstration facility for Industry 4.0 technologies that businesses can adopt.
