Doc Ligot, Author at Financial Adviser

The Philippines Saw the AI Job Crisis Coming… and Looked Away

Doc Ligot — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:57:24 +0000

Why did the IT-BPM sector ignore AI as a threat? We saw this coming in 2025. That year, the US venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz published a blunt pitch. It told AI startups to go after the business process outsourcing industry. The message was simple: BPO work was a huge market, much of it still [...]

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AI Was Already Changing BPO Jobs. Why Did Industry Leaders Ignore It?

Doc Ligot — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:51:15 +0000

The IBPAP recently lowered its 2028 target. Slashing their projection by 600,000 jobs. Why didn’t we see the early signs? The signs were there. We even measured them. In August of 2024, the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, or IBPAP, asked its members about artificial intelligence. The results came out around October. [...]

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Filipinos Raced Ahead on AI. Our Leaders Stood Still.

Doc Ligot — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:10:04 +0000

In the early days of ChatGPT, I actually had a more optimistic view of the Philippines. Filipinos were quick to test the new tool. Students used it to explain hard lessons. Workers used it to draft emails, study data, and save time. Small business owners used it to write ads and answer customers. It felt [...]

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AI Can Now Do PhD-Level Work and That’s Not the Scary Part

Doc Ligot — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:18:53 +0000

Looking back at the progress of AI just this year, I’m still surprised at the misconceptions people have about how AI works. For years, we thought of AI as a machine built for one task. One system could read handwriting. Another could understand speech. Another could play chess. Each improved until it reached human skill, [...]

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The End of Easy Fee Income Will Test Fintech Valuations

Doc Ligot — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:25:04 +0000

The Philippine fintech market is entering a harder phase. For years, growth was easy to explain. More users opened digital wallets. More people sent money online. More merchants accepted digital payments. Each transfer, cash-in, or cash-out created a chance to earn a fee. That model is now under pressure. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is [...]

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Before You Blame GoreBox, Read This

Doc Ligot — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 03:22:29 +0000

The Cost of Blaming the Wrong Risk A good financial adviser knows that risk is rarely caused by one thing. A business may fail because of debt, poor planning, bad timing, weak controls, or fraud. The same is true of public safety. After the Tacloban school shooting, much of the debate focused on violent video [...]

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Can the Philippines Become a Chip Power?

Doc Ligot — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 23:16:12 +0000

Pax Silica May Bring Billions, but Will It Build Filipino Wealth? I recently asked how many jobs Pax Silica will actually produce, and the comments shocked me. The answers showed a deep gap in the public debate. Many people focused on data centers, mining, or the rivalry between the United States and China. Very few [...]

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The Next Million AI Practitioners Won’t Build Themselves

Doc Ligot — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 02:55:01 +0000

The Real AI Opportunity Isn’t Technology. It’s Talent. When people talk about artificial intelligence, they often focus on technology. New models. New tools. New breakthroughs. But the real opportunity may be much simpler. Talent. For the past few years, I have argued that AI is first and foremost a workforce issue. Recently, I revisited a [...]

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Why Investors Should Pay Attention to the Vibe Coding Moment

Doc Ligot — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 08:31:47 +0000

Technology trends come and go. Some create excitement but little value. Others quietly change how work gets done. Vibe coding may be entering the second category. The turning point appears to have arrived around October 2025, when a new generation of AI coding tools became fast and capable enough for everyday use. For investors, this [...]

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The Workforce Can’t Learn AI If Teachers Don’t

Doc Ligot — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:37:52 +0000

AI Upskilling Has a Teacher Problem Financial markets reward preparation. That is why governments and businesses are investing heavily in AI skills. The assumption is straightforward: workers who understand AI will be more productive and more competitive. But there is a major constraint that receives far less attention.Teachers. I recently spoke to Jing Castaneda about [...]

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