In the early days of ChatGPT, I actually had a more optimistic view of the Philippines.
Filipinos were quick to test the new tool. Students used it to explain hard lessons. Workers used it to draft emails, study data, and save time. Small business owners used it to write ads and answer customers. It felt like we had found a tool that matched our greatest strength: our ability to learn, adjust, and make do.
The numbers seemed to support that hope. In 2023, one study found that the Philippines showed more interest in artificial intelligence than any other country on a per-person basis. Singapore, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates came next. Those are also places with large Filipino communities.
This should not have shocked us. Filipinos have long been heavy users of the internet. We spend hours on social media. We play online games. We stream music. Digital tools spread fast here because Filipinos are curious and social. When a useful app appears, we try it, share it, and teach others how it works.
Other reports showed that this interest became real use. One study tracked visits to tools such as ChatGPT and Midjourney. The Philippines ranked fourth in the world, behind only the United States, India, and Indonesia. The World Bank later found a similar result for ChatGPT use.
Microsoft and LinkedIn offered an even more striking number: 86 percent of Filipino knowledge workers said they used AI at work. That was higher than both the world and regional averages. In simple terms, nearly nine out of every ten Filipino office workers in that survey were already using AI.
For a while, this looked like our chance to get ahead. But another set of numbers told a darker story.
Global studies of AI readiness placed the Philippines near the bottom. One ranked us around 82nd among more than 100 countries. Another reported that we had fallen by 11 places. These studies pointed to weak digital systems, a lack of skills, and poor government policy.
Those problems were real then. They are still real now.
We still lack strong laws made for the AI age. The Data Privacy Act and the Cybercrime Prevention Act cover some risks, but neither was written to deal directly with AI. Government plans often sound grand, yet basic work remains slow. Fast and reliable internet is still not available to all. Many agencies lack the people and tools needed to use AI well.
Then there is the sorry state of Philippine education. Many children struggle to read, understand math, and solve basic problems. Our international test scores have been painful to see. Yet many schools would still rather ban AI than learn how to use it.
A ban may stop some cheating for a while. It will not prepare students for the world they are entering. Schools should teach children how to question AI, check its claims, protect private data, and use it without losing the ability to think. Teachers also need training and support. Instead, too many students are left to figure it out alone.
That is the heart of the problem. Filipino people moved quickly, but our institutions did not.
We were leading in interest and use while lagging in education, infrastructure, and policy. Both stories were true at the same time. Ordinary Filipinos were running ahead. The systems meant to support them were falling behind.
Early adoption alone does not create national strength. Using ChatGPT to write an email is useful, but it is not the same as building AI companies, training researchers, improving public services, or raising worker pay. If most Filipinos only use tools made abroad, we become customers in someone else’s future.
AI could still help call centers move into higher-value work. It could help farmers, factories, hospitals, and local governments. But that will require hard choices, steady funding, better schools, and leaders who treat AI as an industrial issue, not a passing tech trend.
The early figures showed that Filipinos were ready. Looking back, the tragedy is that the country was not.
We had a fighting chance early on, but nowadays, I’m no longer that optimistic. We’re blowing it. And sadly, our leaders seem to be fine with this.
Dominic “Doc” Ligot is one of the leading voices in AI in the Philippines. Doc has been extensively cited in local and global media outlets including The Economist, Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, Washington Post, and Agence France Presse. His award-winning work has been recognized and published by prestigious organizations such as NASA, Data.org, Digital Public Goods Alliance, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF.
If you need guidance or training in maximizing AI for your career or business, reach out to Doc via https://docligot.com.
