For 2026, PLDT Inc (PLDT) leads the country's participation in the global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape with a strategy that invests in leadership, infrastructure, and communities.
The company's significant investments in AI infrastructure include the country's largest integrated fixed and wireless networks, and VITRO Sta Rosa (VSR), the country's first hyperscale data center built specifically for AI workloads, which was inaugurated by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr and PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan last year. Located in Laguna’s fast-growing tech corridor, VSR is developed by VITRO Inc., PLDT Group's data center arm.
Spearheading this transformation, PLDT SVP and Head of Enterprise Business Group Blums S. Pineda was appointed as PLDT Group AI Business Lead, reinforcing the company’s focus on building AI capabilities that empower businesses and communities.
According to Pineda, PLDT Enterprise is developing a range of AI use cases for industries such as banking, finance services and insurance, business process outsourcing, healthcare, government, and utilities. These use cases aim to optimize processes, increase productivity, and ultimately enhance customer experience.
"With our AI-ready ecosystem, and our investments in our infrastructure and in our people, the PLDT Group is ready to help more Filipino communities, businesses, and enterprises embrace and harness the benefits of AI to boost productivity, competitiveness, and innovation," Pineda said.
Championing responsible AI use
With its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc (Smart), PLDT is also gearing up to continue leading the country's multi-sectoral thrust into unlocking the potential of AI in enabling efficiencies in government, schools and universities, non-government organizations (NGOs), micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs), media groups, and other community-based organizations, making AI accessible, practical and relevant to more Filipinos.
“We are not just introducing communities to AI. We are leading the way in championing its responsible and meaningful use,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, Assistant Vice President and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart. “Across schools, local government units, enterprises, and media, we are actively pushing for AI adoption that improves how people work, serve, and create value in their communities. Our role is to make sure AI is not intimidating or exclusive, but empowering and usable today.”
In 2025, PLDT and Smart launched “AI-in-a-Box”, their digital empowerment initiative that brings AI closer to communities by equipping them with the tools, connectivity, training, and support they need to thrive in an AI-driven world. Among those who were reached by this program are local government workers in the Bicol Region and Balanga in Bataan. PLDT and Smart have also integrated AI upskilling in their education, livelihood, and inclusion programs, reaching students, teachers, universities, MSMEs, and business owners from Baguio to BARMM.
Among them was Nisa Ibrahim of Lemba Nu Bangsamoro Marketing Cooperative, who attended one of PLDT and Smart's learning sessions in August last year. “We have heard about artificial intelligence before, but we didn’t understand how it actually works. We have so many products, but we didn’t know how to promote them online. Now, we’ve gained valuable new knowledge, which we really hope will help our business become successful.”
In cooperation with ATRIEV (Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired), PLDT and Smart were also able to hold AI for Accessibility trainings, where AI-powered tools were introduced to teachers, parents of persons with disabilities, and digital skills trainers, highlighting how AI can help break barriers in communication, education and access to information for PWDs.
Collaborating with partners from regional media groups in Metro Manila, Cebu, Eastern Visayas, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao, PLDT and Smart also conducted workshops and trainings on equipping local journalists with AI skills, integrating artificial intelligence tools and digital security measures into modern newsroom operations, while reinforcing the values of ethical and responsible journalism.
To further support the media sector, PLDT and Smart also provided their media partners across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with AI-in-a-Box kits for newsroom use. Each kit includes Smart connectivity through a Smart Home WiFi 5G+ device with a starter load, along with access to a premium AI tool that journalists can use for research, analysis, writing, ideation, and workflow support.
Equipping youth innovators
Recently, PLDT and Smart gathered students from various Metro Manila colleges and universities in the DATAxYOUTH AI Innovation Challenge held at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, a hackathon that aimed to empower young innovators to leverage big data and AI in designing solutions that address real-world challenges, demonstrating how technology can improve lives, services, and communities.
Contestants from the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) and National University (NU) emerged as top innovators in the event, with pitches focused on detecting fake news on YouTube, monitoring flood control projects and evaluating their impact on flood-prone communities, and integrating existing early warning systems for real-time flood monitoring and faster emergency response for LGUs.
PLDT and Smart’s broader thrust to empower communities through technology, and is aligned with the Group's commitment towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education, which promotes digital literacy and lifelong learning, and SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, which encourages the responsible use of digital and AI technologies to foster innovation.
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