The end of BPO as we know it — and the rise of KPO in the Philippines

The Philippine’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, once the undisputed engine of economic growth and job creation, is facing a crossroads. With over 1.7 million Filipinos employed in the industry and contributing 8-10% of the nation’s GDP, the BPO sector has long been a source of national pride and economic resilience. But this foundation is now shaking, as artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly automates the very roles that gave rise to the country’s outsourcing boom.

AI tools like ChatGPT, customer service bots, and robotic process automation are now being integrated at scale into customer-facing operations, data processing tasks, and even specialized service areas once thought safe from automation. From New York to Sydney, global companies are embracing AI to cut costs and enhance efficiency. And for countries like the Philippines — where tens of thousands of young professionals earn their livelihood handling routine customer service tasks for foreign firms — this transformation is as urgent as it is disruptive.

A recent Bloomberg report shed light on this unfolding reality. In the video, BPO professionals in Metro Manila and Cebu spoke of how AI is already replacing voice-based roles. One BPO company reportedly shut down an entire business line, laying off over 2,000 employees, after an AI solution took over a major account. The writing is on the wall: AI is not coming for BPO jobs — it is already here.

Yet this isn’t a death sentence. This is a pivot point.

The world may be witnessing the end of the BPO industry as we know it, but it also signals the beginning of a new chapter: the rise of the Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) sector.

Unlike BPO, which thrives on volume, repetition, and scale, KPO is built on expertise, analytics, and insight. It values human judgment, creativity, and critical thinking — qualities that AI, for all its sophistication, still lacks.

For the Philippines, the solution lies in one word: upskilling.

If we are to survive this wave of disruption and ride it toward opportunity, we must embark on an unprecedented national effort to train, re-train, and elevate our BPO professionals into globally competitive knowledge workers. This means mastering not only customer interaction but also data analysis, prompt engineering, cybersecurity monitoring, project management, business intelligence, and AI operations.

It will require public and private institutions to come together and act decisively. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) must accelerate the rollout of national digital literacy programs and AI-focused bootcamps. These should not be general webinars or workshops but structured, industry-aligned certification programs on data analytics, cloud computing, information security, and machine learning basics.

In parallel, private BPO firms must recognize that investing in their people is not just a moral imperative but a strategic one. They must offer tuition support, continuous learning stipends, and on-site training platforms where their employees can gain new digital capabilities. Every BPO company should build its own internal “future workforce academy,” with tracks for analytics, tech support, creative work, and AI-human hybrid services.

Industry organizations are already stepping up. The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the main industry body for outsourcing firms, has acknowledged the dual nature of AI. While it admits that some jobs are being lost due to automation, it also reports that many BPO companies are expanding and hiring for AI-supported services. IBPAP is now working with global experts to create roadmaps that align AI integration with job preservation and transformation.

Meanwhile, the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP) is focused on protecting and expanding the healthcare outsourcing subsector. HIMAP has launched initiatives to upskill workers in medical coding, telehealth support, healthcare analytics, and even AI-assisted diagnostics. These are areas where AI is used not to replace people but to empower them — assisting nurses and support agents with faster, more accurate decision-making.

To ensure long-term sustainability, the Philippines must also develop a five-year national roadmap for BPO-to-KPO transition. Year one should focus on large-scale training and certification programs, including aggressive marketing of scholarships and free courses for BPO professionals. Local governments must be enlisted to help map displaced workers and provide access to digital education hubs.

In years two and three, the country should support startups and new ventures in high-value niches: fintech services, health tech outsourcing, creative process outsourcing, and cybersecurity as a service. Government incentives should reward companies that hire upskilled workers or build AI-human hybrid teams instead of simply replacing agents with bots.

By years four and five, we should aim to establish the Philippines not just as the call center capital of the world — but as a global hub for knowledge-based services. This includes AI development, content moderation, financial analysis, software QA testing, and risk management support. The shift won’t be easy — but it is necessary.

This transformation is also deeply personal. The average BPO worker in the Philippines earns between P20,000 to P40,000 per month — often supporting entire families, paying off mortgages, sending children to school. A sudden job loss due to AI could spell disaster for hundreds of thousands of people. This is why the government must strengthen the social safety net: emergency unemployment insurance, subsidized healthcare, and access to mental health resources must be part of the equation.

Incorporating AI into the workplace doesn’t have to come at the cost of human livelihoods. We must promote the mindset of AI as augmentation, not replacement. The most effective customer service strategies today are no longer purely human or purely automated — they are hybrid. Filipino workers still possess a crucial edge in empathy, problem-solving, and cultural nuance. When paired with AI, they can become super-agents, solving problems faster and providing an even better experience.

Education institutions also have a key role to play. Colleges and universities must integrate AI, data science, and cybersecurity modules across all disciplines — from business administration to nursing to communications. Micro-credentialing, modular learning, and flexible online certifications should become standard for working professionals.

Ultimately, the survival of the BPO industry — and its transformation into a KPO powerhouse — depends on a whole-of-nation approach. Government, academia, private companies, industry associations like IBPAP and HIMAP, and the workers themselves must move in sync. The clock is ticking.

The rise of AI marks the end of the BPO industry as we know it. But it is also the beginning of a smarter, more resilient, and more competitive future. If we act with urgency, collaboration, and vision, the Philippines can once again emerge as a global leader — not in low-cost labor, but in high-value intelligence.

We must embrace this change not with fear, but with resolve. The world is changing — and the Filipino workforce is more than capable of changing with it.

Dr. Donald Lim is the founding president of the Global AI Council Philippines and the Blockchain Council of the Philippines, and the founding chair of the Cybersecurity Council, whose mission is to advocate the right use of emerging technologies to propel business organizations forward. He is currently the president and COO of DITO CME Holdings Corp.