PLDT Group’s Erica Wins 2026 Aibp Award for AI in Enterprise Risk Management

The PLDT Group’s Enterprise Risk Intelligence Companion Agent, or ERICA, has won the 2026 ASEAN Enterprise Innovation Award, Philippines – Data and AI Category, recognizing its use of agentic artificial intelligence in enterprise risk management.

Presented by the ASEAN Innovation Business Platform (AIBP), the award recognizes digital initiatives across Southeast Asia for business impact, scalability and strong governance.

For PLDT, the recognition highlights an internally developed tool designed to help teams conduct risk assessments faster while keeping risk professionals responsible for reviewing the results.

Moving Risk Assessments From Days to Minutes

ERICA was developed by the PLDT Group’s Enterprise Risk Management and Information Technology teams, working closely with UiPath.

According to PLDT, the solution reduces the time required for risk assessment processes that previously took days to just minutes. The company says this allows teams to devote more time to interpreting risks and making decisions.

The tool supports how risks are identified, assessed and managed across the group.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from AIBP. When we built ERICA, our goal was simple: to explore how risk management could better support and enable the different lines of business with risk intelligence. Seeing ERICA adopted and applied across the organization is the greatest validation of that vision. More than an award, it reflects the value that AI can create when it is designed to solve real business challenges,” said Leah B. Jimenez, PLDT and Smart FVP and Group Head for Enterprise Risk Management and Chief Data Privacy Officer.

Human Review Remains Required

Human judgment remains a central part of ERICA’s design.

Every assessment must be reviewed and signed off by a risk professional before action is taken. This requirement places professional oversight within the process as teams use AI to accelerate assessment work.

PLDT said the approach reflects its commitment to responsible AI adoption, combining faster processing with human expertise and accountability.

Recognition at the AIBP Philippines Conference

The award was presented during the AIBP Conference and Exhibition Philippines at the Manila Marriott Hotel, held with support from the Department of Science and Technology.

PLDT described the recognition as part of its broader efforts to apply AI across its businesses, improve operations and strengthen decision-making.

ERICA offers an example of that approach in risk management: using AI to shorten assessment work while retaining human review before findings lead to action.