BSP eyes expanded AI role in consumer complaint mediation

DUMAGUETE CITY — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is exploring a wider use of artificial intelligence in handling consumer complaints, as it aims to automate the identification of cases eligible for mediation.

According to BSP deputy governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the central bank is looking at expanding  the role of the BSP Online Buddy or BOB to expedite the processing of consumer complaints being received by the agency.

“We also want BOB to automatically determine whether a case qualifies for mediation, automatically send mediation offers to complaints, and draft mediation memoranda,” she said during a media information session.

“We want BOB to make complaint handling faster and more efficient, improve the user experience, and enhance our data systems to better track and resolve issues,” she added.

Launched in 2020, BOB receives consumer complaints through the BSP website, its official mobile application, and Facebook Messenger, using traditional AI.

Once complaints are received, these are then manually reviewed by central bank personnel whether these should be dispatched to other offices for further assessment or could already be processed for mediation.

“Medyo matagal ‘pag [It is quite lengthy if it is] manual, but I think Gen AI or agentic AI will be able to do this,” Puyat said.

BOB was reported to have handled some 95% of the 53,644 complaints received by the BSP in the first half of 2025, mostly involving consumer issues on account management, non-receipt of fund transfers, and unauthorized transactions.

The platform is available 24/7 in English, Tagalog, and Taglish, with plans to expand to other languages such as Bisaya and Ilocano, in a bid to widen access.

Aside from BOB, Puyat said the BSP also uses AI tools to analyze public sentiment from social media platforms to detect emerging consumer risks early. — BM, GMA Integrated News