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AI killing jobs? Philippines can be global hub, says tech startup

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Jessica Fenol, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - A Silicon Valley-based startup said it would hire Filipino data scientists and software engineers, seeking to make the country a global hub for artificial intelligence.Contrary to fears in the outsourcing industry, AI is a &quot;job creator, not a job replacer,&quot; said Derek Meyer, CEO of machine learning solutions provider Wave Computing.&quot;We think this is a great opportunity to create the jobs here. We’re not trying to export talent outside the Philippines, we’re trying to harness the skill sets that are here,&quot; Meyer said Wednesday.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JqNS2FRrck8" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>Wave Computing will initially hire 20 personnel for its Philippine office, he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/28/18/displaced-by-robots-ph-call-center-agents-shift-gears">Displaced by robots, PH call center agents shift gears</a></li>	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/26/18/robots-ai-killing-jobs-worlds-tech-bosses-say">Robots, AI &#x27;killing&#x27; jobs, world&#x27;s tech bosses say</a></li></ul>There are 2 billion computers running 20 billion programs worldwide and this requires 12,000 to 20,000 data scientists to run them, Meyer said.&quot;That’s a real challenge and this is an area where we see a lot of growth opportunity in job creation in the space of data science,&quot; he said.Machine learning opportunities are present across industries including retail, financial services and manufacturing, he said.Wave Computing is working with local universities to enhance their AI programs and produce highly-skilled graduates, he said.Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Ernesto Pernia in January urged the BPO industry to upgrade its workers&#x27; skills, saying growth in the sector was slowing as companies look increasingly towards artificial intelligence.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/24/18/bpos-to-feel-artificial-intelligence-reality-in-next-3-to-5-years-pernia">BPOs to feel artificial intelligence &#x27;reality&#x27; in next 3 to 5 years: Pernia</a></li>	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/09/18/dirtiest-job-on-the-web-is-bright-spot-for-bpos-in-philippines">&#x27;Dirtiest&#x27; job on the web is bright spot for BPOs in Philippines</a></li></ul>According to the IT and Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines&#x27; road map, 43,000 low-skilled workers could lose their jobs, from 2016 to 2022 but at the same time, there will be openings for 697,000 middle to high-skilled jobs.

A Silicon Valley-based startup said it would hire Filipino data scientists and software engineers, seeking to make the country a global hub for artificial intelligence.

A Silicon Valley-based startup said it would hire Filipino data scientists and software engineers, seeking to make the country a global hub for artificial intelligence.

AI killing jobs? Philippines can be global hub, says tech startup

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AI killing jobs? Philippines can be global hub, says tech startup

Jessica Fenol,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 01, 2018 08:26 AM PHT

|

Updated December 25, 2019 05:25 PM PHT

Read More:

artificial intelligence

machine learning

jobs

Wave Computing

business process outsourcing

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© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.