Dennis Gaviola

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17606080212871760608024853.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="CIOs from several industries and government agencies give their views on AI and Agentic AI during the CXO Tech Summit in Boracay, Malay, Aklan. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News"/>CIOs from several industries and government agencies give their views on AI and Agentic AI during the CXO Tech Summit in Boracay, Malay, Aklan. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News</div>BORACAY, Aklan — Amid the hype around Agentic AI being the next big thing, several tech decision makers from some of the biggest businesses in the Philippines said they want to see clear use cases first before committing their organizations to any deployment of the tech.On the second day of the CXO Forum several chief information officers (CIOs) of some of the country’s largest banks, hospitals, retailers, power producers and manufacturers said that while they see potential in AI, they also want vendors to clearly demonstrate how the technology will make an impact in the businesses they serve. Agentic AI is being billed as the next major development after Generative AI. Autonomous bots or agents that can plan, reason and accomplish tasks with minimal human supervision, are touted by tech vendors as having the potential to lead to the next major boost in productivity. But some CIOs said they want vendors to first take the extra step to show clear ROI for the technology. “Stop throwing buzzwords at me, because it doesn&#x27;t work, right?” said BDO Senior Vice President and CIO Paul Siy.“Tell me how other banks are using it. How is it going to either make people more productive, increase my revenue, or make our banks safer?” Siy added. Security Bank CIO Dennis Tangonan said that while his company has been one of the early adopters of AI to improve our operations, they are also wary of being “caught in the middle of the AI hype versus reality.”“If you look at the global survey, 80 percent of the enterprises are now adopting AI, but the successful implementation is only about 27 to 30 percent. So there&#x27;s a huge gap between aspiration and implementation, right?” Tangonan said.In the case of agentic AI, they need to know what problem it can solve, “and be very opportunistic in the AI implementation because it can become very costly.”Frank Vibar, CIO of Asian Hospital, said people in the healthcare industry are also taking a more conservative approach to AI, as the sector is highly regulated. Vibar said Asian Hospital does not do AI just for the sake of doing AI. The technology needs to have a business problem that you need to solve.“So what we do is, personally, I search for AI use cases that has been proven and tested in different hospitals in different countries,” Vibar said.CIOs from Amkor Tech, Energy Development Corp, RCBC, St. Luke’s Hospital, Wilcon Depot, and even the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Pag-IBIG Fund echoed the need for greater clarity about how Agentic AI can help their organizations better serve their clients.<div>HARD WORK BEYOND THE HYPE</div>Cisco Architecture Specialist Herns Hermida, meanwhil,e acknowledged that AI and Agentic AI were at a certain level of hype.“Every emerging technology in the past 30 years–internet, mobile– may tinatawag na hype cycle,” Hermida said, quoting the research done by global consultancy firm Gartner.“In our opinion, in our observation, we are still at the peak of inflated expectations,” Hermida said during a media briefing on the third day of the CXO Tech Summit.VST ECS President and CEO Jimmy Go meanwhile, said companies must explore how AI can “serve their unique business goals, whether it&#x27;s reducing operational costs, improving customer experience, streamlining supply chain, or accelerating innovation.”But he also cautioned that “AI is only as powerful as the data it consumes.”“Without high-quality, relevant, and timely data, even the most advanced AI system are ineffective,” Go said.  He added that for companies and for the country to fully take advantage of AI, Filipinos will need to be trained in new skills.  “We must upskill our workforce to be AI-literate and cultivate a new talent focus on skills AI cannot replicate, like critical thinking, creativity, and strategic leadership.”The CXO Tech Summit runs from Oct. 14 to 17 in Boracay, Malay, Aklan.

Agentic AI is being billed as the next major development after Generative AI.

Amid hype over Agentic AI, industry tech execs ask for clear use cases

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Amid hype over Agentic AI, industry tech execs ask for clear use cases

Arthur Fuentes,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 16, 2025 05:48 PM PHT

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