Twenty-three year old M.R.J (not her real name) has found a safe haven in using AI tools for work. With the help of ChatGPT, research has become a walk in the park for her.
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot and virtual assistant in one. It was developed by OpenAI in 2022 and launched as a free tool for all. It offers many functions, and Ruth has put most of them to use.
Her work for a non-government organization requires her to write extensive reports and researches. Thus, there’s the need to be quick-paced all the time
“The reason why I use ChatGPT is to improve the work that I did, specifically if I have no idea how to edit or revise my output,” M.R.J said.
However, she clarified that it’s not everyday that she gets to use it. It’s more of a “consultative tool” whenever she feels unsatisfied with her own work.
In the 2024 Work Trend Index, Microsoft and LinkedIn revealed that, compared to the global percentage of 78 percent, 83 percent of Filipino AI users are already bringing their own AI to work.
Meanwhile, 55 percent of Filipino leaders are still wary of the implementation of AI since they feel like their organizations “lack” planning and the vision for it.
This showed that more employees are in want of AI at work, but are no longer waiting for their own companies to follow through.
Fortunately, for M.R.J’s case, her boss seems to not mind her employees using AI for work.
“She was the one, actually, who initiated the conversation about it. She shared that she used the app for a work task and encourage us to use it also,” She said.
Her boss, however, reminded them to fact check the answers that ChatGPT would give them, since it has proven to give wrong answers occasionally.
M.R.J shared that her boss’ skepticism of the tool also roots from an experience with a generative AI tool they use to transcribe and summarize their online meetings. Her boss began to think that it has “breached” data of their emails.
“I think there is still stigma because there is a misuse of AI. Some people think our world will become borderless because of AI, affecting cybersecurity,” she said.
The privacy concern just sits among the other major concerns about AI. So far, news of people losing their jobs over to AI has been the topmost issue used against it.
But the reality for M.R.J and other Filipinos who use AI for work tells a different story.
What is the ‘stigma’ around AI?
The lack of understanding toward something usually leads to the formation of fear. The Filipino society has battled the stigma around mental health, sexually-transmitted diseases, and more for more than a decade now. Today, AI made into that list.
In the Philippines, universities like University of the Philippines, Mapua University, and University of Santo Tomas are only among the educational institutions that have set up spaces for the conversation on AI.
And just like any new topic, when limited in coverage, they are most likely undiscussed anywhere else.
When asked who else knows that she uses AI, Brie (real name withheld upon request) said that she only has one co-worker who knows about it.
“Actually, sa kanya ko na-realize na okay lang gumamit kasi ‘di naman namin pinapagawa sa bot yung trabaho namin,” she said.
Brie, who works in the media industry, revealed that she uses ChatGPT and Grammarly for a quick fact-checking and research in general.
She said that this trick has always saved her time, but she sees these tools as a “kickstart” and not a cheat code.
“Fast-paced and trabaho ko, so, instead of being caught up in constant sourcing, I get to produce more output than without,” Brie reasoned.
However, she said that understood why other people discredit AI tool users of their own work.
“…It’s true na people mishandle AI into illicit actions. Kaya automatic iisipin ng marami na kapag nag-AI ka, ‘di mo na raw trabaho ‘yun, trabaho na ‘yun ng robot.”
Similar to Brie, M.R.J believes that AI tools provide a way to work “smart.” She also agreed that letting other people know they’re AI-assisted can lead to bad impressions.
“I feel like they would feel ashamed because it’s ‘easy work’ or ‘lazy way’ to get things done quickly. A part of me would, but these days, it’s about getting that quality output,” She added.
This is the similar observation of the Safe app’s chief technology officer Armielyn Obinguar. In her experience as a freelance AI consultant and developer for startups, she noticed a pattern among the students and professionals she has spoken to.
She recalled the number of times where the audience turns silent whenever she asked them whether or not they used AI.
“Oftentimes, they did not raise their hands or participate. Why? They feel scared that professors and the people around them would judge them for using it,” She said.
“The shame perhaps came from the Filipino mentality that when one did not use any kind of
paraphrase, summarizing tool, or generator for their work, it would make them higher and
above anyone else for being good and 100% authentic.”
Improving the AI narrative
The stigma surrounding it is rooted from “broader societal fear of job loss due to automation,” a review article in the 2023 New Asian Journal of Medicine said.
Its ability to create human-like results can “potentially replace” people on jobs that are routinely writing tasks. However, the article also argued that this fear hinders people from seeing AI’s full potential.
Moreover, Obinguar said the fear toward job insecurity is highly understandable, and so she believes that, with every advancement, there are always going to be jobs that need to be “transformed” and “replaced.”
“It must start from creating a space for people to use this technology. Either do training,
upskilling and realigning the company’s workforce for what is emerging today,” she said.
Obinguar also advocated for the proper regulation of AI.
“Proper regulation and guidelines will greatly improve people’s narratives with AI and also will likely see that within the boundaries of ethics and safety and usage.”
