PLDT pushes AI infrastructure buildout as universities prepare students for shifting job landscape

• Blums Pineda, SVP and Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Group and PLDT Group AI Business Lead, spoke to academic leaders of the Mendiola Consortium on the evolving role of AI in education.

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape how work is done across industries, prompting PLDT Inc. to expand infrastructure and training initiatives aimed at preparing Filipino students for an increasingly AI-enabled economy.

Speaking at a forum marking the 50th anniversary of the Mendiola Consortium at Centro Escolar University, Blums Pineda, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business Group at PLDT and Smart, said universities will play a central role in equipping the workforce for a future shaped by machine-assisted decision-making.

“Artificial intelligence is not just another technology cycle,” Pineda said. “It’s a general-purpose technology like electricity or the internet—one that changes how entire industries operate and how professionals do their work.”

The shift carries particular weight for the Philippines, where the economy is closely tied to global services and knowledge-based work. Industry estimates indicate that around 25% to 35% of jobs may be exposed to AI at the task level, while only a smaller portion faces the risk of full displacement. Instead, the more immediate impact is job transformation.

This is already visible in the country’s IT and business process management sector, which employs nearly two million workers. AI tools are increasingly used to summarize interactions and retrieve information, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks.

“What we’re seeing is not the disappearance of human roles,” Pineda said. “AI handles repetitive tasks, while people focus on decision-making, relationships, and solving more complex problems.”

For universities, the transition goes beyond introducing new technology courses. Graduates are entering a workforce where AI can assist in writing code, analyzing markets, and even supporting medical decisions.

“Every technological revolution eventually walks into a classroom,” Pineda said. “The difference with AI is that it didn’t politely wait for curriculum committees. It has already arrived.”

The shift is influencing how institutions design curricula, conduct research, and manage operations, while also raising concerns around academic integrity, bias, and responsible use of AI.

PLDT Enterprise and ePLDT have been working with universities to support early-stage adoption, including engagements with De La Salle University through programs such as SwiftStart, which introduces generative AI concepts like prompt engineering and practical applications using tools such as Google Workspace with Gemini.

The company said infrastructure remains a critical enabler for AI adoption. Through PLDT Enterprise and its subsidiaries, including VITRO Inc., the group continues to invest in hyperscale data centers designed to support AI workloads.

Among these is VITRO Sta. Rosa, positioned as the country’s first hyperscale facility built for AI applications. The site hosts Pilipinas AI, a sovereign AI stack that allows organizations to run workloads while keeping data within Philippine borders.

“The invisible infrastructure behind AI—fiber networks, computing power, and data centers—will determine how quickly institutions can innovate,” Pineda said.

Beyond infrastructure, PLDT and Smart are also expanding access through initiatives such as AI-in-a-Box, which combines connectivity, tools, and training to help institutions adopt AI technologies.

“Technology only transforms society when ordinary institutions can use it,” Pineda said.

As AI adoption accelerates, the company said preparing students will require not only technical skills but also critical thinking, ethical judgment, and interdisciplinary problem-solving.

“The future of AI in education won’t be determined by how quickly we buy new tools,” Pineda said. “It will be determined by how carefully we build the systems behind them.”