Hoy, kumusta? Welcome back to Kaisipan!
Tayo raw ay nasa "Intelligent Age.” AI na daw ang main character ng startup scene. Pero before we celebrate, the plot twist is that startup funding dropped 32% this year. Yung deals? Down 54%. Parang ang tagal mag-load ng optimism, eh.
Here's what's happening: The report shows Philippine startups are riding a new wave powered by AI adoption, automation, and intelligent data. Sectors like FinTech and BPO are doubling down on AI integration. FinTech is expanding beyond basic banking into micro-insurance and digital savings. BPO? They're shifting from routine tasks to advanced analytics and AI model management—basically leveling up from data entry to data strategy.
Emerging sectors getting the AI glow-up:
EdTech: DEPED's Education Centre for AI Research (E-CAIR) is building AI learning tools to scale nationwide
AgriTech: AI applications promise better yields, empowered farmers, and lower emissions
Circular Economy: Resource efficiency meets intelligent systems
But here's the friction: Investors are cautious. Most capital goes to growth-stage startups. Early-stage founders? They're grinding harder, pivoting toward profitability and sustainable innovation instead of rapid scaling. The funding winter isn't over—it just looks different now.
Why the slowdown? Global factors like high interest rates and limited exits are squeezing liquidity. Locally, governance issues aren't helping.
The Philippines ranked 114th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index 👊. That costs the economy ₱600–₱800 billion annually in lost productivity at sa bulsa ni Mary Grace Piattos . Meanwhile, Vietnam's clearer policies and manufacturing strength helped it overtake us in deal volume.
The good news? Startups still contribute 3% of GDP and generate nearly 200,000 jobs. Innovation is spreading beyond Metro Manila—Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro are building their own clusters. Female founder representation hit 49%, nearing gender parity. Around 70% of founders have corporate experience, bringing structure and purpose to their ventures.
So, what does this mean for Filipino AI users and builders? The Intelligent Age here, but it's not automatic. AI can be the equalizer but only if we fix the fundamentals. Stronger governance, faster funding cycles, and strategic reskilling can turn this wave into sustained growth. The technology is here. The talent is ready. The question is whether the ecosystem can catch up before the next wave arrives.
Read the full report here.
Bes, Ano Yung…ChatGPT 5.1?
ChatGPT 5.1 ang pinakabagong version ng popular na AI chatbot ng OpenAI na may dalawang flavors: GPT-5.1 Instant at GPT-5.1 Thinking.
Ang major improvement? Better instruction-following at mas natural na tone. Kapag sinabi mong "six words lang," talagang six words ang isasagot. Hindi yung paliguy-ligoy pa.
Yung GPT-5.1 Thinking naman, mas mabilis na sa simple tasks pero mas persistent sa complex problems. Ibig sabihin, hindi na mag-ooverthink sa basic questions, pero sa mahirap na coding o math, mag-dedicate ng mas mahabang oras.
Overall, mas warm at conversational na yung responses, parang kausap mo talaga. Hindi na yung robotic, jargon-heavy na sagot. Plus may bagong customization options na pwede mo nang i-set kung Professional, Candid, o Quirky yung gusto mong personality.
AI Made Cyberattacks Smarter While Your Password Is Still Your Birthday
Here's the irony: We're all hyped about AI tools making our lives easier, pero hindi tayo nag-iisip na AI is also making scammers smarter.
Peter Maquera, CEO ng Microsoft Philippines, just called it out. The Philippines ranked 20th globally in cyber activity impact. We're on the radar, and attackers are using AI to automate phishing, mimic legit emails, and exploit weak passwords faster than ever.
Eto yung reality: 97% of identity attacks globally exploit weak or reused passwords. Yung "password123" or birthday mo? Easy pickings na yan for AI-powered bots. One compromised account can snowball and access your email, then bank accounts, then company systems kung naka-link. Dito sa Pilipinas, over 9,000 Windows devices got hit by Lumma Stealer, a malware that harvests credentials before ransomware strikes.
Most attacks are financially motivated. Extortion, ransomware, data theft—yan ang goal. They don't care about your data's sentimental value. Ang tanong lang nila: magkano mo babayaran to get it back or keep it private?
So while we're enjoying ChatGPT and AI assistants, scammers are enjoying AI-powered phishing tools that sound convincing, look legitimate, and work at scale. Yung email na mukhang galing sa boss mo? AI-generated. Yung voice message na parang nanay mo? Deepfake.
Protecting yourself isn't rocket science. Use strong, unique passwords. Enable multi-factor authentication. Don't click random links. Pero tandaan, the attackers leveled up. Kailangan natin mag-level up din or else, tayo ang mauuna mawalan.
Read Maquera’s full article and the Microsoft report here.
Mga Ibang Ganap
Marcos wants AI to flag corrupt gov't contracts. The President announced plans to deploy smart technology and artificial intelligence to monitor bidding processes and catch anomalies in public projects before they become full-blown corruption cases.
Philippines aims for 1 gigawatt hyperscale data center capacity. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda revealed the government wants to match Singapore's IT infrastructure by attracting massive cloud computing facilities, up from the current sub-200 megawatt capacity.
59% of Philippine companies risk AI infrastructure debt. Cisco's 2025 study shows most local firms aren't investing enough in power, network, and security requirements for AI deployment, potentially crippling their competitiveness against global pacesetters.
AI fintechs unite against online scams and money muling. Trusting Social Philippines launched enhanced fraud detection tools as cybercrime complaints tripled to over 10,000 in 2024, with reported losses nearing ₱198 million.
LSE and Google launch AI Innovation Challenge for newsrooms. Journalism AI program offers grants of $50,000 to $100,000 for small and medium-sized news organizations to develop AI-powered tools that directly support journalists' work.
The Toolbox
Gusto mo bang gawing AI expert si Claude sa trabaho mo? Check out Claude Skills. A skill is custom training material that you can load into Claude to make it expert at your specific tasks. Upload instructions, scripts, resources, and it automatically uses them when relevant. Best feature? Portable across apps, API, and Claude Code for seamless workflow integration.
Tired of clicking through 10 links para sa isang sagot? Try Perplexity, an AI search engine that answers directly instead of just giving you links. Ask anything and get conversational answers with citations from reputable sources, delivered in real-time. Best feature? See the exact source of information with clear citations for verified accuracy.
Naghahanap ka ng research partner na hindi judgmental? Meet NotebookLM, an AI assistant powered by Gemini that turns your PDFs, videos, and docs into instant insights and connections. Upload sources and it becomes your personalized expert on your materials. Best feature? One-click "Deep Dive" audio discussions generated from your sources for learning on-the-go.
Solo job hunting ka ba at napapagod na? Level up with Jobright, an AI copilot that matches jobs based on your skills (not just titles), creates tailored resumes, and recommends insider connections for referrals in under 1 minute. Best feature? 4X higher interview chances through alumni and hiring manager connections.
Nakakapagod ba mag-edit ng talking head videos? Save hours with Jupitrr, an AI video editor that turns raw recordings into polished, professional content in seconds. Drop your video and AI adds subtitles, B-rolls, transitions, and music automatically. Best feature? Chat-to-edit function where you just type what changes you want.
Prompt Tip!
Feeling exhausted kahit pagkagising mo pa lang? Snapping at people for no reason? Simple tasks feel like climbing Everest? You might be burning out, and AI can help you catch it before you crash completely.
Most people ignore burnout until they're totally fried. So if that’s you, check out this prompt from AI Prompt Hackers.
Act as a burnout prevention specialist. I need you to assess my current burnout risk level.
Ask me these questions one at a time, waiting for my response before moving to the next:
On a scale of 1-10, how often do you feel physically exhausted even after rest?
How frequently do you feel cynical or detached from your work? (Daily/Weekly/Rarely)
In the past 2 weeks, how many times have you felt mentally foggy or unable to concentrate?
Rate your sleep quality lately: 1-10
How often are you irritable with people close to you? (Daily/Weekly/Rarely)
Do you feel a sense of accomplishment from your work? (Yes/Sometimes/No)
How many times this week did you skip meals or eat poorly due to work?
When was the last full day you took completely off work?
After I answer all questions, provide:
A burnout risk score (Low/Moderate/High/Critical)
The 3 most concerning indicators from my responses
One immediate action I should take this week
How to use: Copy-paste sa ChatGPT or Claude. Answer honestly. Save your risk score and top 3 concerns in a note.
What you'll get: Clear assessment like "High burnout risk. Top concerns: chronic exhaustion, daily irritability, poor sleep. Immediate action: schedule one full rest day this weekend—no email, no Slack, walang work thoughts."
Pro tip: Run this same day each month. Track your scores to spot patterns before they wreck you completely.
Palaisipan
Is this AI or not?
That’s all for today!
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