MANILA. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is unlikely to completely replace human workers, but reskilling is crucial as technology continues to evolve, experts from IBM Philippines said on Thursday.
Speaking at a workshop, Jong Torres, IBM Philippines’ technical sales leader, emphasized that while AI can automate repetitive and manual tasks, it is also generating new job opportunities that require advanced skills.
“It’s a reality that certain tasks that are repeatable, that are very manual in nature, can easily be automated and will be replaced by an AI entity,” Torres said.
“But at the same time, with the advent of GenAI (generative AI), there are new roles or new jobs that are created—more premium, shall we say, or more premium when it comes to skills requirements,” he added.
Torres noted that individuals should keep their skills updated to remain competitive in the job market. “You want to be in that situation where you become more valuable because you have skills that are quite up to date. It’s a reality that some organizations or some people face, because they get displaced, but when that happens, they also get reskilled to another role.”
AI Adoption in the Philippines
A study conducted by Jobstreet by SEEK last year found that 46% of Filipino professionals use generative AI in their work at least once a month. Popular AI platforms include ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Watsonx.
However, concerns about AI-driven job losses persist. In January, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) warned that around 5 million Filipino workers could lose their jobs in 2024 due to the combined effects of AI adoption and climate change.
According to FFW, their estimate is based on projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which indicated that 14% of the country’s total workforce is at risk of AI-driven displacement, while 2.3 million jobs may be lost due to the impact of typhoons.
AI Still Needs Humans
Despite these concerns, Rjel Lara, IBM Philippines’ solutions architect, reassured that AI will not fully replace human workers, as humans play a crucial role in improving AI systems.
“Will AI replace humans? No,” Lara stated. “Humans will still have to check if the intelligence system of the AI system performs its task well…and feed that back to the AI so the AI can learn better. So you’re still needed.”
With AI adoption growing rapidly, IBM experts underscored the importance of continuous learning and upskilling to remain relevant in an evolving workforce.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla#molongui-disabled-link
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla#molongui-disabled-link
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla#molongui-disabled-link
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla#molongui-disabled-link
