CAGAYAN de Oro City — Mindanao businesses that want to stay competitive cannot afford to ignore artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology, business leaders said as companies face rapidly changing markets and customer demands. 

Irene L. Floro, conference director of the 35th Mindanao Business Conference, said AI, automation and digital transformation can help businesses improve efficiency, reach customers beyond their local markets and compete internationally. 

“Using digital and artificial intelligence, it's crucial — it's a crucial component of any business for them to be able to really capture not just the local market, but also internationally,” Floro said. 

For small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), adopting technology does not necessarily mean making expensive or complicated changes. 

John W. Asuncion of the Cagayan de Oro City Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office said businesses can start by using AI and other tools to make everyday work easier and more efficient. 

“AI is a tool para mas mapadali ang atong trabaho,” Asuncion said. 

He added that innovation can be as simple as improving an existing process. 

In agriculture, for example, using a carabao in a more efficient way to reduce farm labor can already be considered an innovation. 

“Innovation is not invention,” Asuncion said, stressing that businesses do not always need to create something entirely new. What matters is finding better, more efficient and sustainable ways to do things. 

Technology must reach more businesses

Floro said businesses can also learn from technologies already being used successfully in other parts of the country. 

She cited the use of drones in agriculture in Davao as an example of an innovation that could potentially be adapted in Northern Mindanao. 

The Mindanao Business Conference, she said, can give businesses a chance to discover such innovations and determine how they can be applied to their own industries and communities. 

But technology alone will not be enough.

Floro said businesses also need workers who know how to use emerging technologies effectively. 

Government, industry and academic institutions are working to integrate AI into education and technical-vocational training to prepare workers for a more digital economy. 

MSMEs urged to innovate

The Oro Chamber has also been promoting technology and innovation among MSMEs for years through programs developed with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). 

Among these initiatives is OROBEST, or Optimizing Regional Opportunities for Business Excellence through Science, Technology and Innovation, which the chamber championed in 2019. 

Floro said these efforts aim to help local businesses become more productive and competitive while giving MSMEs access to technology, knowledge and business development opportunities. 

“Oro Chamber has been at the forefront and has been a trailblazer when it comes to innovation,” she said. 

The push for AI and innovation will be among the key discussions at the 35th Mindanao Business Conference, which will bring together business groups and other stakeholders in Cagayan de Oro from Aug. 11 to 13. 

The conference will also tackle sustainable digital infrastructure, modern agricultural value chains, cross-border BIMP-EAGA trade and inclusive green growth under the theme, “Accelerating Inclusive Growth for Business Through Innovation and Sustainability: Bridging the Gap, Scaling the Future.” 

For Mindanao businesses, the message is clear: innovation is no longer simply an advantage. It is becoming essential to keeping up, reaching new markets and staying in business. (Ben Balce with a report from APB/PIA-10)