PLDT INC. has announced its first use of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance enterprise risk management across its operations.
In a media release on Sunday, the Pangilinan-led telecommunications company said it has deployed the Enterprise Risk Intelligence Companion Agent (ERICA), an autonomous system built on its platform.
“For the PLDT Group, the real value of ERICA goes beyond the technology itself… It reflects how we are embedding innovation into core enterprise functions in a way that is deliberate, disciplined, and aligned with how the business actually works,” said PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. First Vice-President and Group Head of Information Technology and Transformation Office Gilbert O. Gaw.
ERICA was developed by the PLDT Group’s Enterprise Risk Management team in partnership with PLDT and Smart’s Information Technology team and UiPath, an enterprise automation software provider.
PLDT said ERICA is designed to strengthen enterprise risk management across the organization by enhancing risk assessment, identification, and management.
“ERICA was introduced to make risk assessments more seamless and consistent across the organization. By reducing the effort required at each stage, the solution allows teams to focus on insights and decision-making, rather than administrative efforts,” the company said.
The technology is expected to make risk assessment faster and translate complex operational information into comprehensible insights that can be validated, allowing the company to respond efficiently.
ERICA is built to adapt to the needs of different business units, PLDT added, noting that it supports teams in understanding the impact of operational changes and in pinpointing critical risk areas that need to be managed.
“Human oversight remains central to ERICA’s design. All outputs are reviewed and validated by risk professionals, with full traceability maintained through existing governance systems. This ensures transparency and accountability while supporting the Group’s broader commitment to the responsible use of AI,” the company said.
PLDT is also planning to expand agentic AI adoption with UiPath and may extend ERICA’s use across its business units to strengthen enterprise-wide resilience.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
