By Maria Bernadette Romero
Copyright tribune
Meralco staged its first-ever AI Summit recently, bringing together executives, employees and global technology partners to explore how artificial intelligence can transform the country’s largest power distributor into a faster, smarter, and more customer-focused utility.The event comes at a critical moment. Energy demand in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia continues to climb, while utilities face mounting pressure to decarbonize, digitize, and deliver reliable service at scale. Against this backdrop, Meralco has placed AI at the heart of its digital transformation.Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie L. Aperocho recognized this turning point, calling AI “a transformative force redefining the future of energy.” He added: “We aim to leverage the power of AI in reshaping what is possible, accelerating growth and unlocking opportunities we once only dreamed of.”. Aperocho also stressed that the company’s approach must remain responsible and people-centered. With more than eight million customers depending on its network, Meralco, he said, must ensure innovation is guided by ethics, transparency, and public interest. “At the heart of it all are people — the eight million customers that we serve, and each of you who makes it possible,” he reminded employees.The technology represents both a promise and a challenge for Meralco Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.. “AI is touted as this monumental technology that will forever alter the landscape of business. AI will be impactful. For us frontliners in the technology battlefield, it is simply another big challenge,” Pangilinan said. His message was clear — AI isn’t an optional upgrade but a necessity to ensure the reliable, sustainable, and secure delivery of services.Meralco leaders stressed that AI is no longer an abstract concept. Across the energy sector, predictive maintenance is saving millions by preventing failures, service bots are improving response times, and cybersecurity systems are detecting threats in real time.The summit also showcased Meralco’s own early applications of AI. A sentiment analysis platform now processes feedback in hours instead of weeks, giving near real-time insight into customer experience.Predictive models for distribution transformers have cut outages by more than half, saving millions of pesos and sparing hundreds of thousands of customers from power outages. Computer vision tools are mapping rooftop solar installations to improve grid integration as more homes and businesses generate their own power.. Subsidiaries are also reaping benefits: Radius Telecoms has rolled out tools to transcribe meetings and review contracts; full-service fintech Bayad has automated responses to cut handling time nearly in half; and power generation company Meralco PowerGen is piloting AI agents to streamline complex data processing.Meralco’s roadmap follows a layered AI stack — from data collection and predictive modeling to generative AI and, eventually, agentic systems capable of planning and adapting in real time. Early pilots include copilots and taskbots for human resources and project tracking, along with Microsoft Copilot now deployed across 50 employees. A new AI Co-creation Workshop has already surfaced 50 use cases from staff, with six “lighthouse projects” selected for leadership backing.Still, executives cautioned that AI’s risks cannot be ignored. Hallucinations, data privacy breaches, cyberattacks, and bias remain serious concerns. To address these, Meralco has adopted a Responsible AI Policy with clear guardrails and human oversight. The framework reflects its role as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, where innovation must always be balanced with security and public safety.Beyond the technical, the summit embraced a broader vision: AI as a partner rather than a replacement. Executives likened the shift from the early era of “Intel inside” to today’s “AI beside us” — intelligent systems working shoulder-to-shoulder with people.The AI Summit was a declaration of intent: a commitment to harness AI to serve customers better, run operations smarter, and build a more resilient energy future. Pangilinan closed with a call to responsibility: “We are defined by the future we create. AI isn’t about the jobs we lose. It’s about the future we build.”By fusing human intelligence with artificial intelligence, Meralco is betting it can power not just homes and businesses — but also a cleaner, smarter, and more connected Philippines.
