Philippine CEOs see low AI ROI despite high adoption

According to a recent IBM study, while many Philippine CEOs recognize the importance of artificial intelligence (AI), only 23% report seeing expected returns on their investments.

The survey of 2,000 global CEOs, including 210 from the Philippines and ASEAN countries, found that over half of Philippine leaders are actively adopting AI agents despite setbacks such as diverse government policies affecting digital transformation.

Sixty-three percent of surveyed leaders prioritize AI use cases based on return-on-investment (ROI), highlighting a gap between investment priorities and actual results.

Abraham Thomas, managing partner at IBM Consulting in ASEAN, noted the pressure CEOs face to demonstrate ROI from AI while investing in long-term capabilities to stay competitive.

More than half of Philippine CEOs view integrated enterprise-wide data architecture as crucial for cross-functional collaboration and unlocking the value of generative AI.