What the adviser said

BusinessWorld reported that Mark Anthony B. Perez, a technical adviser and director in the BSP's Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Hub, said Philippine capital markets are not ready to use AI for trading, advising or prediction.

He cited hesitation toward unfamiliar technology and said capital-market use is more complicated than common retail applications. He also noted that AI adoption in capital markets remains limited internationally and depends partly on market maturity.

Why foreign dependence matters

Perez also warned about "AI asymmetry": advanced models and cloud platforms are concentrated in a small number of countries, while markets such as the Philippines largely use systems built elsewhere.

He argued that greater local capability would require skills, infrastructure and the ability to govern cost, data and system behavior. This is a policy concern and development challenge, not evidence that a local sovereign model already exists.

What this does not mean

  • The remarks are an adviser's readiness assessment, not an announced BSP ban on AI tools.
  • They do not prove that every AI use in banking is unsafe; lower-risk uses still need governance and human accountability.
  • Investors should not treat an AI prediction as regulated advice or a guaranteed trading result.
  • Financial firms should document who is responsible when an AI-assisted process affects a customer or investment decision.

Sources & further reading

Source note. The linked sources support the news in this article. The explanations and suggested next steps are from Pinoy AI Works.