NEC Corporation has won five awards at the Newsweek AI Impact APAC & EMEA Awards, which recognize organizations for the practical and responsible use of artificial intelligence in addressing business and operational challenges.
With digital transformation accelerating across transport, public services, and enterprise in the Philippines, NEC said the recognition underscores the growing importance of trusted and secure AI systems in building resilient digital infrastructure.
Ma. Sherlyn Omalin, President of NEC Philippines, Inc., said the awards reflect the company’s commitment to deploying AI that delivers real-world impact at the local level.
“These awards affirm NEC’s ability to deliver AI that is not only powerful, but also secure and trustworthy,” Omalin said. “By applying these technologies locally, we aim to help build smarter, more resilient systems that support Filipino communities and enterprises.”
NEC received recognition across five categories for a range of AI-driven initiatives. In the AI Brand & Retail category for Best Outcomes in Marketing and Creative, the company was cited for “The Taste of Life Created by Brewers and AI – Agentic AI x Craft Beer.” The project involved a collaboration with Coedo Brewery of Kyodo Shoji Co., Ltd., combining the expertise of beer artisans with NEC’s proprietary AI core technology, NEC cotomi, to analyze lifestyle and values data across multiple generations and generate new craft beer recipes through dialogue-based AI.
In the same AI Brand & Retail category, NEC was also recognized for Best Outcomes in Product Development and Innovation for its AI-Powered New Product Demand Forecasting Solution. The solution applies proprietary AI to improve demand forecasts for new products where historical data is limited, helping align stakeholders and support data-driven decision-making during product development.
For Extraordinary Impact in AI Innovation under the Most Innovative AI Technology or Service category, NEC was honored for its Negotiation AI, which automates delivery date and quantity negotiations traditionally handled by humans. By deriving optimal and mutually acceptable conditions for procurement, the technology demonstrated significant improvements in operational efficiency during a proof-of-concept conducted within NEC Group operations.
NEC also received recognition for Extraordinary Impact in AI Transparency or Responsibility for its work addressing large language model (LLM) hallucinations. The company developed AI tools—including a Quality Checker, LLM Explainer, and Fact Checker—to verify outputs and enhance the safety and reliability of generative AI. The tools are compatible with both NEC cotomi and Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, enabling broader enterprise adoption.
In the AI Workplace category for Best Outcomes in Leadership and Succession Planning, NEC was cited for its “Client Zero” approach, under which the company serves as the first adopter of its own AI solutions. The initiative includes the use of AI-enabled management dashboards that integrate actual performance data with predictive insights, supporting faster decision-making and proactive management.
NEC said it will continue to advance research and development in safe and secure AI, with the aim of supporting customer transformation and addressing evolving business challenges across markets, including the Philippines.