PRESS RELEASE

The second year of the country’s premier conference on AI-powered innovation is heading to Cebu City, the Philippines’ leading business process outsourcing hub outside Metro Manila, to showcase real-world AI applications in the BPO and creative industries that enhance rather than replace human capabilities.

This second AI Horizons PH conference is scheduled for October 16–17, 2025, at the University of the Philippines Cebu.

While last year’s inaugural conference in Bonifacio Global City successfully convened stakeholders across sectors, this year’s Cebu venue aims to empower direct engagement with industries and communities most affected by AI transformation.

“Cebu exemplifies the transformation we envision for AI integration across Philippine industries,” said Prof. Prospero Naval Jr., chair of the conference’s program committee. “By hosting the conference here, we’re showcasing solutions in the very environment where they will have immediate, measurable impact on livelihoods and economic growth.”

Cebu employs about 160,000 full-time BPO workers, or more than 10 percent of the sector’s national workforce, and it serves as the cornerstone of the country’s $31.6 billion contact center industry — which posted about seven percent year-on-year revenue growth in 2024, reaching about $30 billion, despite global uncertainties and AI disruption concerns.

As the BPO sector confronts these challenges and opportunities Cebu provides the ideal laboratory to display the positive impact of AI innovations.

Presentations will demonstrate intelligent process automation, AI-augmented customer service platforms, and workforce transition models that highlight pathways for career advancement for Filipino BPO workers, especially in elevating them from process-based to knowledge-intensive roles.

According to UP Vice President for Digital Transformation Peter Sy, the AI Horizons PH conference “moves beyond academic discussions to live demonstrations of practical AI use cases. Attendees will get to appreciate firsthand how AI applications can help strengthen our security posture, transform our key industries, and create new opportunities for Filipino workers.”

Prof. Luis Sison, director of the UP Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, also eyes more industry-academe collaborations as well as empowering the tech startup community not just in Cebu but in the rest of the country.

“In addition to the technology presenters, we will also be supporting the matching of industry challenges to innovation expertise in the community and featuring the support programs for the resulting collaborations,” Prof. Sison said.

Prof. Luis Sison, director of the UP Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, also eyes more industry-academe collaborations as well as empowering the tech startup community not just in Cebu but in the rest of the country.

“In addition to the technology presenters, we will also be supporting the matching of industry challenges to innovation expertise in the community and featuring the support programs for the resulting collaborations,” Prof. Sison said.

For more information about the conference, visit its website at ai-horizons.up.edu.ph.