Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) exporters are called to adopt and utilize artificial intelligence (AI) fast to deal with rising operational costs and improve their operations, especially as export orders decline and trade is changing.
“Global trade is shifting to digital-first, platform-based models. Buyers expectations: faster, more personalized, traceable,” Janette Torral, ecommerce advocate and site owner of DigitalFilipino.com, said during the second quarter General Membership Meeting of the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT).
Torral said AI is now being implemented across the supply chain, citing as examples its use for product design, market research, marketing, documentation, and logistics.
She said that instead of printing a design using a 3D printer in the Philippines, MSMEs can send this to a 3D printer abroad and have it printed there and be delivered in the country.
“I think that’s also a change in mindset especially now as everybody is trying to improve their operations especially for MSMEs,” she added.
For market research, Torral said there are tools like Google Trends and ChatGPT, while Canva AI for marketing.
“And even the documentation tools right now. Before, when we used OCR (optical character recognition), our intention was to only capture the data and put it in the database. But now when we use OCR, lets say, you go to ChatPDF, you input the PDF and you start asking questions about the PDF. When you get a copy of this presentation, you can also input it in your ChatPDF or whatever tool you are using and you can start asking questions based on the presentations that you have received,” she said.
Torral said it would just take a few days or a week for MSMEs to come up with a marketing plan using AI.
“Using AI can also allow you to save a lot of time,” she said. “Even building websites now, building applications, you can do it. Google came up with AI Studio, aistudio.google.com. If you have an app in mind, sometimes you want an app but no one is there to do it for you, you can now ask AI to do it for you…”
Torral said there are also automation tools with AI features like for pricing which can be adjusted based on how competition is performing.
“And even for multilingual ad(vertisement) content, let’s say I want to create an ad for a South Sea pearl, product ad, I will give instructions and then it will come with a multilingual ad for me –an ad for you as buyers and ad for Japanese buyers and even an ad for French buyers,” she added.
To implement AI, Torral said it is important for companies to assign an AI explorer in their team and pick a pain point to digitize, such as pain points in inventory and financial management which they need to work on.
“And AI does not have to be expensive, you can use free tools that are available. If you are on Google Workspace, you can use Google Gemini (feature). If you are a subscriber to Microsoft 365 (plans), you can use Microsoft Copilot. Of course, if you have Facebook, you can download Meta AI to get started,” she said.