Itamar Gero, the founder and chief executive of Makati City-based digital marketing company TrueLogic, underscored the critical role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the digital transformation of businesses in the Philippines.
“When I came here 16 years ago, I said the Philippines is going to be the next Silicon Valley. I still believe it could be,” Gero, chairman emeritus and former president of the Israel Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said in an interview.
Gero, a software programmer by profession, said the Philippines could make it big in the AI space, given the presence of major IT and business process outsourcing companies in the country.
“With the assets you have right now, the BPOs and the outsourcing, you can capitalize on that. Do outsourcing for AI companies. The way you pair yourself with winning players in the industry, and try to attract some of their R&D here, try to attract some of their services here. Because it’s anybody’s game at this point in AI, and you see companies emerging right, left, and center. I think that if the Philippines made itself attractive to those companies, like they do for some fintechs, AI companies could unlock a big potential,” said Gero.
Gero established Truelogic in 2008 to provide services like SEO, web design, social media and marketing strategies with a focus on AI-driven solutions. Truelogic now employs about 50 professionals in the Philippines, catering to mostly local companies.
Gero stressed the importance of companies embracing AI to stay competitive, saying AI has revolutionized how businesses operate—from customer acquisition to internal processes.
“I started TrueLogic 16 years ago when I moved to the Philippines. Originally, my aim was to service the international market because this is where the market was,” he said. “As time progressed, we realized that the Philippines is just starting to grow and mature when it comes to digital needs, to digital transformation, digital marketing. And we pivoted to start serving it. Now we have clients—the biggest banks, biggest e-commerce platforms, and we’re growing. And I’m proud to say it’s 99-percent local market,” he said.
“We do everything around your website, your online presence, your IT online. Anything that could be attracting new clients—so client acquisition, client retention, search engine optimization, paid media, social media, web design, those traditional services, but we’re adding the flair of AI on top for efficiencies and for progress,” he said.
“There’s so much more utilization of AI, and every day we see new solutions. And that on the individual productivity, I think that companies should train and enable more of their individual productivity through their staff. Playing around with it, paying subscriptions for those tools are a key to unlock productivity in a business,” he said.
Gero said the era of AI is going to be transformational for people’s work. “We saw the need of small sellers to learn digital tools, to learn how to go online, to learn how to find potential exporters, potential clients, collaborators online. Going back to basics, just the smallest digital transformation for those different sellers in the different parts of the country could already unlock a big opportunity,” said Gero. Roderick T. dela Cruz
