Businesses urged to strengthen defenses as AI, scams evolve

• IN PHOTO: Speakers and Attendees of “Leading with Trust” forum held Tuesday, Aug. 18, in Makati City

Businesses are being urged to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses as artificial intelligence (AI) and increasingly sophisticated scams reshape the risks faced by organizations and their customers.

Industry leaders discussed the changing cybersecurity landscape during the “Leading with Trust” forum held Tuesday, Aug. 18, in Makati City, where AI, cybersecurity, digital governance, consumer protection, and the growing complexity of online threats took center stage.

For businesses, the risks extend beyond scams to cyber fraud, supply-chain vulnerabilities, and potential compromises involving AI infrastructure, including the data and systems supporting it.

Gogolook Philippines Country Head and General Manager Mel Migriño said companies, particularly smaller organizations with limited resources, should first understand their actual exposure instead of immediately spending on multiple cybersecurity products.

“You really need to go through the risk assessment. You need to know your vulnerabilities or weak points that could potentially be compromised,” Migriño said.

Once risks have been identified, organizations can determine which are the most critical and prioritize their resources accordingly. Some risks may also be addressed through compensating controls without immediately requiring additional spending on technology.

Migriño stressed that cybersecurity investments should remain tied to the actual risks an organization needs to address.
“It still has to be risk-driven. What are the risks? What are the things that are really important for us to address? Those should come first,” Migriño said.

The expansion of cloud services, connected devices, and other digital platforms has changed how organizations need to approach cybersecurity. Traditional security models largely focused on protecting systems within a company’s network perimeter, but businesses today operate across a much wider digital environment.

AI has added another layer to this shift. The technology offers businesses new capabilities and productivity tools, but the same capabilities can also be exploited to compromise systems and strengthen deceptive schemes.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of established verification and internal procedures as AI makes impersonation more convincing.

Beyond technology, human behavior remains another part of the defense against scams.

Scam Watch Pilipinas co-founder Jocel De Guzman said behavioral change is a core component of the organization’s broader Scam Watch Pilipinas Anti-Scam Quad Model approach.

“Scam Watch Pilipinas is always pushing these four attitudes: Magdamot, Magduda, Mang-Isnob, and Magsumbong. These are core attitudes under behavioral change, which is part of our broader Anti-Scam Quad Model approach,” De Guzman said.

The four attitudes encourage people to be cautious about giving away personal information, question offers that appear too good to be true, ignore suspicious or unsolicited communications, and report scams.

De Guzman also highlighted the National Anti-Scam Hotline 1326 as a channel where the public can report scam-related incidents.

The event was moderated by PSG Global Solutions Chief Operating Officer Monica Maralit and held at SPACES Century Diamond Tower in Makati City.

As businesses continue adopting AI and other digital technologies, the discussion underscored that stronger cybersecurity does not necessarily mean deploying every available security product.

Identifying risks, prioritizing critical vulnerabilities, maintaining established processes, and strengthening people’s awareness can allow organizations to make more informed decisions about where their defenses are needed most.