Newsletter: Kaspersky Premium earns “Approved” certificate from AV-Comparatives for high Anti-Phishing results

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In 2025, Kaspersky Premium for Windows received the annual 'Approved' certification by leading testing lab AV-Comparatives. This was given to Kaspersky Premium for detecting 93% of phishing URLs, demonstrating strong anti-phishing capabilities powered by AI technology and a commitment towards safeguarding users’ digital life and privacy.

Newsletter: Alonaw Business School Unveils Fifth Investment Education Course with AI Integration

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In an era of rapidly evolving global financial markets, comprehensive investor education stands as a cornerstone for sustainable economic development. The Philippine government has consistently advocated that enhancing investors' knowledge base and skill sets is fundamental to achieving enduring stability in today's volatile market conditions. 

Newsletter: UPD Study Uses AI Model to Predict Tropical Cyclone Rainfall

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By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

Graphical abstract of the AI-based accumulated tropical cyclone (TC) rainfall model.

(Photo credit: Mesias & Bagtasa, 2025)

The Philippines is often hit by tropical cyclones (TCs), which bring heavy rainfall that can cause floods and landslides. More often than not, the patterns of TCs repeat. For instance, if a typhoon with a certain amount of rainfall passes through Central Luzon, a similar typhoon that will pass through Central Luzon again in the future is likely to have the same amount and distribution of rainfall.

Newsletter: AI for All: AICON PH 2025 Charts the Path to an Inclusive Digital Future

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The SMX Convention Center Aura was abuzz with energy as industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, and media converged for AICON PH 2025. This year's event, organized by the Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Association of the Philippines (AAP), went beyond exploring the possibilities of AI to address a more critical question: How do we make AI matter for every Filipino?

Newsletter: Acronis Report Finds AI-Powered Phishing and Social Engineering Fueling Surge in Ransomware

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Acronis, a global leader in cybersecurity and data protection, today released the findings of the Acronis Cyberthreats Report H1 2025, detailing the most popular threat vectors, active threat groups, and targeted industries in the first half of 2025. Ransomware remains the major threat for large and medium-sized businesses, with new groups increasingly leveraging AI to automate their activities – phishing accounted for 25% of all attacks and 52% of attacks targeting MSPs, a 22% increase compared to 1H 2024.

Newsletter: Eventchy, the Philippines’ First AI-Integrated Event Marketplace App, Opens Pre-Registration on August 15

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Eventchy, the Philippines’ first AI-integrated event marketplace app, is opening pre-registration on August 15, 2025 for both event suppliers and clients ahead of its Grand Launch: Weddings & Events Expo in December 2025. Developed by Xugbo Technologies Inc., Eventchy streamlines event planning through curated Dream Boards, verified supplier booking, and secure, cashless payments. Suppliers benefit from a digital storefront, trust-building verification badges, and early marketing exposure, while clients gain early access to explore features and book services. CEO and Co-Founder Christine Sanchez highlights Eventchy’s mission to make event planning smarter, safer, and more reliable.

Newsletter: Ateneo futurists envision AI-powered food stalls, sari-sari stores

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The Ateneo de Manila University’s Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) is looking at ways for artificial intelligence (AI) to augment and enhance—rather than replace—human labor in small businesses, which make up the bulk of the Philippine economy.

The Ateneo de Manila University’s Student Enterprise Center houses a variety of student-led food stalls, an ideal test bed for AI-assisted tools aimed at empowering small businesses. PHOTO: Ccai Llamas / The Guidon

BUILD researchers Zachary Matthew Alabastro, Joseph Benjamin Ilagan, Lois Abigail To, and Jose Ramon Ilagan pay particular attention to a very ubiquitous tool of everyday business: the humble pen-and-paper logbook. Low cost, simple, and reliable, this analog solution is indispensable for keeping track of the multitude of small items that change hands throughout the day in small businesses, from shopping center food stalls to neighborhood “sari-sari” or convenience stores.

Newsletter: In Asia’s race to scale AI, system administrators are doing the heavy lifting

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By Matthew Hardman, Chief Technology Officer, APAC, Hitachi Vantara

AI gets the headlines. But the people who keep it running — system administrators — rarely get the credit.

Newsletter: Sprout Eliminates Administrative Bottlenecks for Filipino Businesses with Sidekick Central AI Assistant Suite

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The modern workplace in the Philippines faces a productivity paradox: while 65% of employees actively use AI tools (Sprout State of AI 2025 Report), most organizations struggle with fragmented solutions that create silos rather than solve them. Repetitive questions flood HR departments, payroll processes still consume more hours than necessary, and managers spend more time on administrative tasks than strategic leadership.

Newsletter: The Great AI Retention Paradox: Despite 62% Workplace AI Adoption, Filipino Workers Stay for Friends, Not Features

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In a striking contradiction to Silicon Valley's tech-first workplace revolution, new research reveals that as AI adoption soars to 62% across Filipino workplaces, employee retention depends more on workplace friendships than cutting-edge features.

Newsletter: UP Researchers Predict Antimicrobial Resistance Using AI Models

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common bacterium that lives in the intestines of animals and humans, and it is often used to identify fecal contamination within the environment. E. coli can also easily develop resistance to antibiotics, making it an ideal organism for testing antimicrobial resistance—especially in certain agricultural environments where fecal material is used as manure or wastewater is reused.

Newsletter: New Hitachi EverFlex AI Data Hub as a Service Provides Seamless Data Integration for Smarter AI

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Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure, and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), introduced Hitachi EverFlex AI Data Hub as a Service. The new AI Data Hub as a Service offering represents a fully managed, all-in-one infrastructure consumption service addressing AI data preparation challenges by providing a modern data lakehouse with integrated workbench capabilities for AI, business intelligence (BI), and data needs.

Newsletter: MyGlit Launches AI Platform to Streamline Philippines BPO Hiring

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The Philippines' vital BPO sector, a major employer facing persistent recruitment challenges, is seeing a new approach to talent matching. MyGlit, an AI-powered job platform built specifically for high-volume hiring, has been operational in the Philippines since 2018, focusing on improving efficiency and transparency for both employers and job seekers.

Newsletter: Championing human-centered AI in the workplace - GCash chief people officer recognized among Southeast Asia’s top 100 HR leaders

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GCash chief people officer Robert Conrad Gonzales has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential HR Leaders in Southeast Asia at the ET Future Forward Southeast Asia Series 2025

The chief people officer of GCash Robert Conrad Gonzales joins this year’s 100 Most Influential HR Leaders from Southeast Asia, an annual awarding of top HR executives who have made exceptional contributions to leadership, innovation, and transformation in the HR industry. Recipients of this prestigious citation are selected based on social media influence, engagement, industry awards, community impact, thought leadership, and pioneering HR practices. It also considers the impact of HR initiatives on revenue growth and overall market influence.

Kaspersky warns of emerging AI threats in APAC, urges proactive defense with SOC

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Global cybersecurity and digital company Kaspersky raised urgent concerns about the rising misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in cyberattacks across Asia Pacific (APAC), revealing new threat data and defensive strategies at its Cyber Insights 2025 forum held in Seoul.

Newsletter: Tenable Powers AI-Driven Exposure Management with Third-Party Data Connectors and Unified Dashboards

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Tenable®, the exposure management company, today announced powerful new enhancements to its flagship platform, Tenable One, with the introduction of Tenable One Connectors and customizable risk dashboards. These advancements — powered by Tenable ExposureAI™ and built on the Tenable Data Fabric — make Tenable One the most advanced exposure management solution available today. With third-party data connectors, organisations unlock a contextualised view of all their security risk data in one place, regardless of the security products they use.

Newsletter: Beyond the algorithm: Championing responsible AI, empowering women in tech

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GCash AVP of automation center of excellence Michelle Santos highlighted the role of AI in daily workflows

GCash, the Philippines’ leading finance super app, reaffirmed its commitment to AI-driven innovation and inclusivity through GCash AI Week 2025.

Newsletter: Harnessing the Power of AI for Startups: Insights from Allan Tan

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Alan is a techno-preneur and AI engineer with a proven track record in developing AI-driven solutions. He is the founder and Chief AI Strategist of Predictive Systems, a company committed to ethical and high-performance AI. Allan’s career includes founding Ideyatech, which was later acquired by Monstar Lab, and mentoring startups through Founder Institute Manila. He is also the creator of the Artificially Intelligent YouTube Channel, where he shares insights on AI’s evolving landscape.

Newsletter: GCash highlights AI-powered innovations for the underserved communities at UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week

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(L-R) British Embassy Bangkok digital and head of investment first secretary Zak Lawton, TPP research and analytics director Chris Bates, IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines president and CEO Jack Madrid, BCG managing director and partner Julian Cua, Arup director Sankar Villupurum and GCash chief data officer Sara Venturina

Innovations powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can help bridge financial gaps, democratize access to services, and create opportunities for underserved communities. This was the key message highlighted by GCash, the Philippines' foremost finance app and largest cashless ecosystem, during the UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week, a two-day summit recently organized by the British Embassy in Manila.

Newsletter: On World Password Day Kaspersky warns against AI password generation

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How many passwords do you have? It could be more than you think. Most online services and apps require the user to create a password. Chances are many of those passwords are not being used daily and due to this overabundance, there’s a high probability that many of the passwords are being reused.