PLDT deploys Southeast Asia’s first UiPath conversational AI for enterprise teams

• IN PHOTO: From L-R: Eric S. Santiago, Head of Network Strategy and Architecture at PLDT and Smart; Amit Khandelwal, Regional Vice President and Managing Director, Southeast Asia, UiPath; Blums S. Pineda, PLDT SVP and Head of Enterprise Business Group; and Gilbert O. Gaw, First Vice President and Head of the Information Technology and Transformation Office.

PLDT Inc. has rolled out a new AI-powered assistant designed to support its enterprise business, becoming the first telecommunications provider in Southeast Asia to run UiPath’s conversational AI in a live production environment.

The tool, called KAI—short for Knowledge, Automation, and Intelligence—is built to give PLDT Enterprise teams faster access to network data, product information, and solution insights during customer engagements. The move signals the company’s deeper push into AI-driven operations, particularly in improving how front-facing teams respond to clients.

Before KAI, teams often had to manually search for technical and product details while interacting with customers. With the system in place, relevant information is delivered in real time, helping speed up response times and streamline solution design.

“Before KAI, our teams had to dig for answers in the middle of a customer conversation. Now the information comes to them. That improves how fast we respond, how well we design solutions, how much our customers trust us,” said Eric Santiago, head of network strategy and architecture at PLDT and Smart.

Built on UiPath’s platform, KAI is positioned as a support tool rather than a replacement for human roles. PLDT said it enables what it describes as “tech-enabled selling,” where employees are assisted by data-driven insights to improve the quality and efficiency of customer interactions.

For enterprise clients, this translates to quicker validation of network availability and clearer discussions on tailored solutions, particularly for businesses with specific connectivity requirements.

UiPath, which develops automation and AI platforms, said the deployment reflects a broader shift toward combining automation with human oversight. “PLDT’s KAI sets a new benchmark for telco innovation in Southeast Asia,” said Amit Khandelwal, UiPath’s regional vice president and managing director for Southeast Asia. “By combining agentic automation with human-in-the-loop governance, PLDT is turning complex data into timely, actionable insights.”

PLDT said it plans to expand KAI’s capabilities, including adding real-time network capacity insights and automating the creation of customer-specific solutions—features aimed at accelerating decision-making for both internal teams and clients.

The initiative forms part of PLDT’s broader strategy to enhance its network and enterprise services, as demand grows for digital infrastructure and data-driven solutions. The company also said the rollout aligns with its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

With KAI now in operation, PLDT joins a growing number of telecom providers globally integrating AI into customer-facing and operational workflows—though its deployment marks an early step for the technology within the Southeast Asian telco landscape.