It wasn’t your usual corporate seminar. Between intermittent audio glitches and a brief power outage, something quietly profound was happening: people were learning to speak AI.
The session, led virtually by Idris Murat Atakli, AI Consultant for HP and a global expert in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, turned out to be less about tech jargon and more about redefining our relationship with artificial intelligence.
“AI is not here to replace us,” Idris said early on, his voice steady through a Zoom feed. “It’s here to take some of our tasks, not our jobs, so we can focus on the creative and strategic work we actually enjoy.”
That set the tone for the rest of the afternoon: practical, grounded, and refreshingly human.
Beyond the buzzwords
The event was part of Frontier Tech Trends, a nationwide initiative by HP Philippines in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). This advanced edition, hosted in Roxas City, Capiz and supported by the local government, focused on helping Filipinos outside Metro Manila build real-world AI literacy — not just through theory, but through hands-on learning.
The DICT’s ICT Industry Development Bureau (IIDB) Director Jhino Ilano summed it up perfectly:
“Technology is only as meaningful as the people it serves. Through programs like Frontier Tech Trends, we’re showing that AI is not here to replace us, but to empower us, to help Filipinos become more creative, more efficient, and more connected to opportunities wherever they are.”
This session built on earlier ones that introduced AI fundamentals, expanding into prompt engineering, AI-powered upskilling platforms, and applied use cases in industries like IT-BPM and cybersecurity. According to studies cited during the event, AI could inject around US$31 billion into the Philippine economy, a figure that underscores just how transformative this technology could be for local growth.
The Art of the Prompt
After the technical hiccups subsided, the group dived into an interactive prompt engineering workshop. Essentially a crash course in how to talk to AI effectively. Idris introduced four key prompting techniques:
- Zero-shot prompting, for straightforward requests
- Few-shot prompting, where examples guide the output
- Chain-of-thought prompting, which breaks down complex reasoning into steps
- Persona-based prompting, his personal favorite, which gives AI a defined role and tone to follow
Participants tried them out in real time using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, prompting everything from customer support replies to business proposals. When a student shared their results, complete with structured responses and tone-appropriate phrasing, Idris smiled and said, “See? You just learned to talk to AI like a pro.”
These exercises demonstrated how AI can transform long reports, policies, and client requirements into actionable insights, a crucial skill in fast-paced industries like outsourcing and digital operations.
Building your AI stack
The session wrapped up with Idris’ recommendations for building a personal “AI stack” — a toolkit of apps that help boost productivity. His shortlist included:
- 11 Labs Reader – for turning documents into audio on the go
- Perplexity.ai – a research assistant that cross-checks sources
- Otter or Granola – for meeting summaries and action-item tracking
- Napkin AI and Gamma – for visual storytelling and presentations
- Bolt – for no-code app and website creation
- Notion AI and Canva – for writing, organization, and design
He also touched on how AI is shaping cybersecurity, noting how machine intelligence now helps detect anomalies, anticipate threats, and strengthen compliance, areas critical to industries like IT-BPM and government services.
Lessons in adaptability
If anything, the session itself mirrored the technology it celebrated. Resilient, adaptive, and human despite the interruptions. When the power cut out mid-presentation, Idris laughed it off. “I guess that’s the real test of hybrid work,” he joked.
For HP Philippines, it was also a reflection of the company’s broader vision for inclusive innovation.
“The future of AI in the Philippines depends on inclusivity, ensuring that tools, knowledge, and opportunities extend to Filipinos everywhere, not just in urban centers,” said Ida Evina Ong-Co, Managing Director of HP Philippines. “Through programs like Frontier Tech Trends, we aim to bridge the digital divide, enable innovation, and empower communities.”
By the end of the two-hour session, participants left with more than just a list of AI tools. They carried a mindset shift: that using AI isn’t about keeping up with machines, but collaborating with them.
As one attendee put it after the session, “It’s like having a really smart coworker, but one who never complains.”
And maybe that’s the heart of it. In a world running on algorithms and automation, Idris reminded everyone that the best way to stay human… is to learn how to talk to the machines.
