Karl Chua's data-driven mission at Ayala

Business. “AI is a people play, not just a tech play. The tech is actually the easy part,” he noted. “Before we can become an AI-driven organization, we have to become a digitally transformed organization. And before that, we have to improve our business process.”

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His team, while small at around 10 members plus several interns, works with over 200 active analytics professionals across the Ayala ecosystem. Together, they drive AI strategy across Ayala's many business units-from developing a group-wide AI strategy to route optimization in logistics, customer traffic and personalization in malls and healthcare, and drone-powered monitoring and prediction in renewable energy (RE).

How does this help the planet? In a poignant moment during a commencement address at the University of the Philippines' (UP) National Graduate School of Engineering last year, Chua shared a question posed by his first-born son, Keid Ashby (now nine years old), after visiting his office: “Daddy, what do you do in Ayala?” Chua told him he worked on data science and AI. But then came the follow-up: “How does that exactly benefit the planet?”

Chua admitted the question stumped him. “I struggled to articulate an answer. Perhaps that is what a Miss Universe candidate feels during the 'question and answer' portion,” he said. Yet, the question cuts to the core of what drives his current work.

Defend, extend, upend

Ayala's AI strategy is organized into three progressive layers:

- Defend: Establish the digital foundations-cybersecurity, quality data, governance protocols-necessary to deploy AI responsibly;

- Extend: Enhance current business processes using AI tools. One example: improving the productivity of meetings by using generative AI like Microsoft Copilot to summarize discussions and identify action points; and

- Upend: Create entirely new products or services driven by AI. GCash's GScore, for instance, is an AI-generated credit scoring system that helps expand access to credit while maintaining low default rates.