Speaking during a keynote session at MWC Shanghai 2026, Globe president and chief executive officer Carl Cruz said AI is fundamentally changing how companies compete
In sum – what to know:
AI execution focus – Globe chief executive officer Carl Cruz said telecom operators must move beyond AI experimentation and focus on scaling AI responsibly across the enterprise.
Governance-first approach – Globe has established a dedicated AI group and appointed the Philippines’ first chief AI officer, combining AI, cybersecurity, and data privacy under a single leadership structure.
Enterprise-wide transformation – Globe has developed more than 80 employee-led AI use cases and is prioritizing hyper-personalization, customer experience, autonomous networks, and new AI-enabled services.
SHANGHAI — Philippine carrier Globe believes the telecom industry’s biggest AI challenge is no longer adoption but execution, as operators seek to scale artificial intelligence across their organizations while maintaining governance and trust.
Speaking during a keynote session at MWC Shanghai 2026, Globe president and chief executive officer Carl Cruz said artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how companies compete.
“For many years, telecommunications was largely an infrastructure game,” Cruz said. “Success for operators was measured by how well networks were built, coverage was expanded, and reliable connectivity was delivered at scale,” he said.
“Those fundamentals still matter. But in an AI-driven world, connectivity alone is never going to be enough,” Cruz added.
According to Cruz, AI is reshaping customer expectations and creating opportunities for operators to move faster, make better decisions, and deliver more personalized services. However, he stressed that the main challenge facing operators is scaling AI responsibly and generating meaningful business impact. “The challenge now for me at Globe is not adoption, it is execution,” Cruz said.
The executive noted that the Philippines offers favorable conditions for AI adoption due to its high levels of digital engagement. Cruz said the country has nearly 98 million internet users, 142 million mobile connections, and 91 million social media identities.
In 2024, Globe established a dedicated AI group and appointed what Cruz described as the country’s first chief AI officer, a role that has since evolved into chief intelligence and trust officer. “We firmly believe that by bringing together AI, data, cybersecurity, and data privacy under one leadership role, we are ensuring that innovation and trust advance together,” Cruz said.
Globe also launched an internal AI Advocates Guild in 2024 to encourage employees to explore AI applications in their daily work.
According to Cruz, the operator initially focused on building common AI foundations rather than deploying isolated use cases. These foundations include platforms, governance frameworks, policies, standards, cost management practices, and reusable capabilities, he said.
As Globe expanded its AI initiatives, the company identified five key drivers needed to create enterprise-wide impact: data readiness, technology modernization, process transformation, employee fluency in AI, and security and trust. “Addressing all of these fundamentals is what allows AI to move from isolated wins to repeatable enterprise impacts,” Cruz said.
The executive noted that Globe has now developed more than 80 employee-created AI use cases across the business.
To scale these efforts, Globe adopted a hub-and-spoke operating model in which a central AI team provides governance, standards and shared platforms, while business units identify and implement AI opportunities closest to customers and day-to-day operations.
During his keynote speech, Cruz cited an AI-powered billing agent developed by Globe’s finance organization as an example of how AI is transforming manual processes. The tool has reduced billing reconciliation tasks that previously took hours, days or weeks into processes completed in seconds or minutes.
Looking ahead, Globe is focusing on four priority areas for AI deployment: hyper-personalization, customer experience, autonomous networks, and new products and services.
According to Cruz, AI-driven hyper-personalization initiatives already reach more than 80% of Globe’s approximately 65 million subscribers.
