Empathy and AI: two sides of the same coin

For decades, the Philippines has served as the world’s “heart” for customer service and hospitality. This global reputation was not built on technical infrastructure alone, but on malasakit—a proactive, deep-seated concern for the well-being of others. Our ability to care deeply is what makes Filipino talent indispensable. In an era increasingly defined by automated transactions, this cultural superpower can become a premium economic asset, keeping global brands anchored to our shores.

The transition into an AI-driven world is not a departure from our roots, but an evolution. According to the 2026 Salesforce ASEAN survey, Filipino workers already recognize that their humanity is their greatest advantage. They view emotional intelligence and human-to-human collaboration as among the most critical skills to master alongside AI.

This innate ability to empathize allows us to remain the leading source of people-centered talent in care-driven industries worldwide. While there is fear that AI will replace human effort, we must see it as a tool to sharpen our competitive edge by focusing on the interactions that require a human soul.

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The AI Shift: amplifying ‘malasakit’

We are at a turning point where technology can finally keep pace with our natural desire to connect. In today’s dynamic business landscape, AI provides the speed, but malasakit is the soul. This harmony allows us to navigate the AI era with a level of confidence that others might struggle to find.

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Our 2026 survey shows that personal use of AI is raising consumer expectations: 46% of Filipino knowledge workers expect faster service, while 41% demand pinpoint accuracy. As AI is projected to handle 50% of all service cases by 2027, according to Salesforce’s State of Service report, we are presented with a unique opportunity: we can automate the transactional to focus on the relational.

Amplifying malasakit means shifting workers’ focus from simply processing transactions to deepening human connections. When an AI agent instantly resolves a routine booking change, it frees up Filipino service workers to do what machines never can. They can spend unhurried time comforting an anxious worker calling from overseas or patiently guiding a worried grandmother through a complicated medical claim. Malasakit is amplified when every minute saved from administrative tasks is intentionally reinvested into moments of genuine warmth, reassurance, and care.

We see this in action with the Maxicare Group, the Philippines’ leading health maintenance organization. Maxicare uses Agentforce to automate dental Letter of Authorization (LOA) requests. By reducing processing time from 20 minutes to just 30 seconds for 20,000 to 40,000 monthly dental LOA requests, the company delivers faster, more seamless experiences for both patients and partner clinics. It is not just about efficiency; it is about care. By eliminating friction, patients receive care faster, and partner clinics operate more seamlessly, proving that, at its core, AI is about delivering superior, human-centric care.

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At Salesforce, malasakit is woven into our core values of trust, innovation, and customer success. By empowering Filipino enterprises to thrive with AI, we can unlock profound economic transformation, projected to inject PHP 2.8 trillion into the local economy by 2030.

To achieve these benefits, we must empower employees to use AI as an extension of their natural strengths. Businesses must prioritize AI fluency—the ability for workers to confidently collaborate with AI—to deliver real business results at speed and scale. It requires a complete workplace shift that moves beyond simple technical training.

True fluency begins with redesigning roles so that human skills are amplified by AI speed, followed by reskilling our people to lead and partner effectively with these digital agents. By redeploying talent into agile, high-impact roles that rely on human judgment, we can rebalance the relationship between man and machine.

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This evolution ensures that technology serves our culture of care, built on a foundation of trust and reliable data, enabling workers to act on AI insights with complete confidence.

A call to leadership

By blending AI’s efficiency with our inherent superpower of malasakit, we are setting a global standard for business. This is not just economic growth—it is cultural leadership. In the age of AI, empathy is not a soft skill—it is the Philippines’ hard advantage.

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The leaders who will win this decade are those who empower their employees to use AI as an extension of their empathy. By driving fluency, we ensure the Philippines thrives as both a hub of innovation and a beacon of humanity in a high-tech world.