Mynt's Pebbles Sy: In the AI era, trust must move as fast as technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed from an emerging technology to a core business capability, impacting various aspects such as customer service, fraud detection, software development, and decision-making. At the fifth GCash iGnite Innovation Summit 2026, industry leaders discussed how to balance innovation speed and trust in the AI era.

Pebbles Sy, the chief technology and operations officer of Mynt, the parent company of GCash, emphasized that innovation should be backed by accountability, governance, and trust. She stressed that AI should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all solution but a tool that requires smart governance, clean data, and human judgment. Mynt's approach to AI adoption is centered around solving real problems for Filipinos in a simpler, safer manner, ensuring that the technology serves a purpose beyond its existence.

Sy also highlighted the importance of responsible AI governance, where humans own the outcomes while AI supports decision-making. This approach requires different levels of oversight depending on the risk involved, such as AI summarizing internal meeting notes versus fraud detection or financial decisions. Sy challenged the notion that organizations need to choose between rapid innovation and strong security, asserting that they can fuel each other when implemented correctly.

The summit emphasized that collaboration is essential for the future of digital finance, emphasizing that it will be built by people and not solely by technology. For Sy, the key takeaway is that the most successful organizations will be those that earn people's trust just as quickly as they adopt new technology.