Exclusive Interview | Precious Lim of AWS

Filipino businesses must accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies while rapidly upskilling workers to remain competitive in the global digital economy, according to Precious Lim, country manager of Amazon Web Services Philippines.

Lim said one of the most important lessons for local executives from AWS re2025 is the urgent need to scale digital skills training across industries and communities.

“It’s still about the importance of scaling and talent,” Lim said, stressing that businesses, organizations, and schools must work together to expand training in AI and cloud computing.

She said the Philippines must move quickly to keep pace with rapid technological innovation, noting that new services and capabilities are constantly emerging in the cloud ecosystem.

“The way for Philippines and the businesses in the Philippines to catch up is to really skill up, use these services hands on,” she said.

Lim noted that interest among Philippine companies is rising, pointing out that the country sent its largest ever delegation to the 2025 re:Invent conference in the United States.

She said the key challenge is not the lack of available training materials but the difficulty of scaling up programs nationwide to reach more workers and students.

Lim warned that sectors such as the IT and business process management industry must transform their services using AI and automation to stay globally competitive.

She said AWS is bringing its Process-to-Agent program to the Philippines to help outsourcing firms redesign workflows using agentic AI systems that automate business processes.

The program, first implemented in India, will be rolled out locally with major outsourcing companies including Accenture, Concentrix, and Teleperformance.

Lim said the initiative provides companies with cloud architects, sandbox environments, and consulting frameworks to identify which processes can be automated or improved through AI.

AWS will also focus its Philippine strategy in 2026 on key industries including banking and finance, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, the public sector, and education.

Lim said deeper collaboration with government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and Department of Education aims to expand AI and cloud training programs nationwide.

She emphasized that the impact of AI on employment will depend on how organizations and workers adapt to emerging technologies.

“It’s not really a culling of jobs, it’s more of the evolution of technology,” Lim said, adding that continuous upskilling will help workers remain relevant as new roles emerge in the digital economy.