Cebu Pacific (5J) is collaborating with Thinking Machines Data Science and OpenAI to execute its enterprise AI strategy, establishing a practical model for transforming workflows, capturing measurable value, and scaling artificial intelligence responsibly across its entire business. For many modern enterprises, the primary challenge is no longer determining whether AI can create value, but rather understanding how to move beyond basic access and isolated pilots. Organizations must redesign work, overcome adoption barriers, apply governance proportionate to risk, and make the right technology choices for each specific opportunity. To tackle these exact challenges, Cebu Pacific decided to work with Thinking Machines Data Science, an official Advanced and Services Partner for OpenAI in the Asia Pacific region.
To ensure a seamless transition, Cebu Pacific brought leaders and business teams together to prioritize valuable workflows and test solutions under real operating conditions. The airline calibrated its governance and evaluation to match the specific risk profile of each workflow, while hands-on co-creation helped build direct ownership across the business. This strategic approach allowed Cebu Pacific to demonstrate concrete value quickly, remove practical blockers, and establish the evidence and buy-in needed to justify further investment.
Since the official roll-out of ChatGPT Enterprise, several internal departments at Cebu Pacific have shared positive results. Legal contract review times fell by approximately half, dropping from an average of 2.5 hours down to around 1.2 hours. In addition, project intake and triage turnaround fell from five days to around one day, requiring approximately 80% less manual review effort. Engineering reference searches also experienced a massive boost in efficiency, falling from 10 to 15 minutes down to under 10 seconds. Following the implementation program, 86% of surveyed users reported that AI supported more than one-third of their daily work.
“At Cebu Pacific, we see AI as a practical way to make every customer’s journey simpler and our operations more reliable. It helps our people solve problems faster, make better decisions, and focus on higher-value work. Working with OpenAI technology and Thinking Machines, we are turning experimentation into real workflows that create value for our people and customers. What impressed me was how quickly Thinking Machines Data Science turned broad interest in AI into real momentum across the business. They were able to activate the business and create excitement across the organisation. For a company that puts its customers at the center of its operations, AI helps Cebu Pacific work smarter by taking friction out of everyday processes, reducing manual work, speeding up processes, and enabling our teams to make better decisions. Our partnership with Thinking Machines Data helps make our operations more efficient, so our people can focus on delivering a better experience for our passengers,” according to Fabricio Ibáñez, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Cebu Pacific.
Building on these early successes, Cebu Pacific now has a comprehensive roadmap for the next stage of its AI strategy. The carrier is embarking on an ambitious plan to expand ChatGPT-enabled work, develop innovative solutions using OpenAI APIs, strengthen change support, and pursue agentic applications that connect directly with enterprise data and systems. Ultimately, these technology investments are intended to improve both employee and customer experiences while creating lasting operational value for the airline.