MANILA - IBM Philippines is looking to upskill the Philippine workforce in artificial intelligence and other technologies through free online courses.

Aileen Judan-Jiao, IBM Philippines' president and country general manager, said people who want to learn more about how to use AI in their work can sign up for free courses on their online learning platform SkillsBuild.

During a briefing with journalists, Jiao said SkillsBuild is a program with customized practical learning experiences available for all levels of learners.

IBM said the platform can used by high school students and educators, college students and faculty, as well as professionals looking to upgrade their skills.

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Among the courses offered are AI, cybersecurity, data analytics and programming.

The company earlier said it is aiming to upskill 30 million people globally in these technologies by 2030, but Jiao noted that AI was a special concern.

"We thought in AI, we need to move faster. So in 2 to 3 years, we need to train 2 million just in AI alone," Jiao said.

According to a study from the World Economic Forum, AI and automation evolution will disrupt 85 million jobs between 2020-2025 and create 97 million new job roles.

She also cited an IBM study which said that 75 percent of CEOs
surveyed believe that the organization with the most advanced
generative AI will have a competitive advantage.

IBM has already partnered with several government agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Commission on Higher Education on using SkillsBuild.

The company recently unveiled its generative AI system called watsonx which targets businesses and government agencies that want to deploy enterprise-grade AI in their operations.

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