While the rest of the world is still debating what artificial intelligence might mean for jobs, citizens in the Philippines are already living in the new reality.
The same relentless drive to cut labor costs that saw back-office roles shipped to the archipelago in the first place is now starting to turn over some of their duties to bots. All of the major players in its vast outsourcing industry, which is forecast to cross $38 billion in revenue this year, are rushing to rollout AI tools to stay competitive and defend their business models.