At the Philippine Global AI Council’s “State of the Nation in AI (SONAI)” congress, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) showcased its leadership in AI-driven innovation to enhance customer experience, streamline operations, and strengthen cybersecurity.
SONAI 2025 gathered policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to shape a national AI strategy for global competitiveness. Global AI Council founder Kate Hancock emphasized the need for AI education and accessibility to prevent disparities in the digital era.
UnionBank’s AI Center of Excellence head, Dr. Adrienne Heinrich, highlighted the Bank’s customer-centric approach and the potential of AI to enhance and augment cybersecurity measures. “Currently, we are using AI to analyze our customers’ transactional behavior so that we can catch early on any suspicious activity. This also helps increase operational efficiency by giving us insights around process optimization. For example, there can be so many false positives in suspicious transaction reporting, but because we have an AI model in place, we’ve brought these findings down significantly. This gives investigators more time to focus on the real critical cases.”
“Choosing not to move forward and adopt AI will not stop bad actors from using that technology for their own means. So for us, we anticipate, adapt, learn about AI and its advancements, and wield it proactively,” concluded Dr. Heinrich as she stressed how AI is transforming, not eliminating, jobs—similar to how ATMs initially and mobile apps eventually reshaped banking roles.
Dr. Donald Lim, President of Global AI Council Philippines, urged the country to lead in AI adoption rather than just be users. Global AI Council Philippines Chairman Brian Poe Llamanzares reinforced the importance of AI in driving economic growth and ensuring the country remains competitive.
UnionBank remains committed to responsible AI adoption, championing ethical and inclusive technological advancements that drive security, innovation, and economic progress.