Featuring Alvin Toh, Co-founder of Straits Interactive
1. What inspired you to launch the AI Prompt Design Challenge specifically for a Filipino audience? Was there something unique about the Philippines that made it the right place for this initiative?
The launch of the 2025 National AI Prompt Design Challenge in the Philippines was our response to the country’s growing momentum in AI adoption and its wider strategic vision to become a center of excellence in AI Research and Development. This is reflected in state-level initiatives such as the Department of Trade and Industry’s establishment of the Center for AI Research (CAIR) and the release of the National AI Strategy Roadmap 2.0.
Prior to this Challenge, there were no nationwide competitions in the Philippines specifically designed to raise awareness of safe and responsible Generative AI innovation among business professionals and youth. We saw an opportunity to bridge this gap by offering a platform for people of all backgrounds to gain practical capabilities in leveraging the technology without coding or technical expertise.
In addition, we found there was strong interest among Filipinos in exploring AI. This, coupled with the population’s high proficiency in English – the primary frontend operating language for most Generative AI tools – made it an ideal environment to launch the initiative. We received a positive response with over 500 participants during the challenge and nearly 200 app submissions. This reflected an appetite for AI learning in the country and the overall readiness of Filipinos to upskill and innovate in this space.
2. For those unfamiliar with prompt engineering, can you briefly explain what the challenge involves and why prompts are becoming such a valuable skill in today’s AI economy?
For those not familiar, prompts are text inputs (i.e. instructions, questions etc.) entered into Large Language Models (LLMs) in Generative AI tools to guide output. These AI models are often known by brand names like GPT, Gemini, Claude, Llama and Perplexity. They power many of the Generative AI solutions available in today’s market.
As prompts are how we communicate with AI models, they are key for generating accurate, relevant and quality outputs. Well-crafted prompts can significantly improve a model’s ability to perform specific tasks and deliver content tailored to user needs. It was the process of both teaching and applying this crucial skill which formed the heart of the National AI Prompt Design Challenge.
The competition had two parts. The first part was the Bootcamp, where participants learned essential prompt engineering techniques and responsible Generative AI app development practices, while taking into account ethics, privacy and security. Participants also gained foundational knowledge of LLMs and basic AI Governance skills, including countering security risks like Adversarial Prompts. Furthermore, we provided a framework to guide participants in defining the business challenge they would like to solve, thereby positioning their solutions for real-world impact. The second part was the Challenge, where participants used the prompt skills and frameworks they learned to build Generative AI chatbots that addressed their specified business challenges, each fitted with a user-friendly interface.
3. The challenge drew over 500 participants across sectors. Were you surprised by the turnout — what does that say about Filipinos’ interest in AI and digital upskilling?
We were thrilled by the turnout, with participants coming from over 20 industries and 40 schools. Some even travelled from outside Metro Manila, including as far as Quezon and Pangasinan. This level of participation reflected Filipinos’ general receptiveness to new technology, particularly among the youth and young professionals, with some encouraging interest also shown by middle-aged participants.
4. What were the most impressive or unexpected ideas submitted during the challenge? Did any stand out from participants without technical backgrounds?
We saw great diversity and innovation in the nearly 200 submitted apps. They ranged from the digitalisation of government services, to bots enabling enhanced work productivity, AI tutors personalising student learning, applications extracting insights from image analysers, and diagnostic assistants among others. Unique submissions steeped in Filipino culture were also present, from engaging with Filipino heroes to teaching social etiquette. This multi-sector representation underscored the creativity and ingenuity of Filipino innovators, as well as their potential to integrate AI meaningfully into everyday life.
5. What criteria did you use in selecting the winners? Were you looking more at creativity, real-world application, or technical accuracy?
The judging criteria for this focused on a balance between creativity, real-world application and technical security. We assessed participants across a number of areas including functionality, user experience, innovation, benefit and potential, security and ethics. With functionality, we assessed how well the tool could perform its core task, produce accurate results, and use a combination of Chain-of-Thought reasoning, file uploads and datasets to solve real-world issues. In terms of user experience, a good app should be intuitive, clear, and have a logical flow, such that even non-technical users find it easy to use. Judges will also look out for innovative solutions that showcase originality, with strong impact, relevance, and scalability. Most importantly, the tools must have in-built guardrails against adversarial prompts, maintain transparency, and personal data privacy.
6. You’ve said that “anyone can build a Gen AI app.” How does Capabara help turn that statement into reality, especially for people without coding experience?
The judging criteria for this focused on a balance between creativity, real-world application and technical security. We assessed participants across a number of areas including functionality, user experience, innovation, benefit and potential, security and ethics. With functionality, we assessed how well the tool could perform its core task, produce accurate results, and use a combination of Chain-of-Thought reasoning, file uploads and datasets to solve real-world issues. In terms of user experience, a good app should be intuitive, clear, and have a logical flow, such that even non-technical users find it easy to use. Judges will also look out for innovative solutions that showcase originality, with strong impact, relevance, and scalability. Most importantly, the tools must have in-built guardrails against adversarial prompts, maintain transparency, and personal data privacy.
Unlike many platforms that are programming-heavy and daunting for the average business user, Capabara is designed to be easy to understand. It’s designed for professionals who know their domain and workflows and want to integrate AI Assistants quickly. Users simply write prompts in plain English or any other language supported by the LLMs, and can start building tools immediately. This enables anyone, anywhere, to create AI-powered solutions in minutes.
7. Let’s talk about AI Capability-as-a-Service (CaaS). Why do you think this model is crucial for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets like the Philippines?
We believe realising the benefits of Generative AI (or any new, disruptive technology) isn’t simply about subscribing to attractive tools, expecting a silver bullet that delivers results. In some cases, we’ve seen companies invest heavily in AI as part of their digital transformation efforts, only to face low adoption rates because employees lack the skills and frameworks needed to use these tools productively.
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), true digital transformation requires developing the right individual competencies and organisational capabilities to effectively leverage the technology for clearly-defined use cases. This involves a combination of knowledge, skills, technology, processes and flexibility.
To support organisational capability-building, our Capability-as-a-Service (CaaS) model was developed with an emphasis on AI-enhanced training, the Capabara platform and expert-led advisory to ensure responsible, sustainable integration of the technology.
8. The AI market in the Philippines is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. What kind of new job roles or industries do you think will emerge locally from this boom?
Given the Philippines’ strong position in the global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, I think the integration of AI into back-office roles will likely be one of the biggest multipliers for growth. AI augmentation points to higher productivity and more value-added work for employees who can leverage AI Assistants to enhance their tasks and deliver better outputs.
We are already seeing rising demand for AI Trainers who teach Al systems how to interpret tasks, as well as Al Ethicists and AI Governance professionals who ensure Al development and use aligns with human values and regulatory guidelines. In a forecast by Precedence Research, we may expect a fivefold growth in the size of the global AI Governance market from 2025 to 2034. Resultingly, we’ll likely see the role of Data Protection Officers (DPOs) evolve into Data and AI Governance Officers to meet these needs in the Philippines.
In the next few years, we may find ourselves working alongside AI agents as collaborators. This makes AI literacy even more crucial, so that we can both manage and orchestrate human and virtual assistants to achieve even better outcomes together.
9. Beyond the challenge, how do you envision working with educational institutions and businesses in the Philippines to deepen AI literacy and capability?
Interest generated from the challenge has opened doors for further collaboration. We are committed to deepening partnerships with educational institutions and businesses in the Philippines to raise AI literacy and drive responsible digital transformation.
For example, our new partnership with Adamson University will deliver an Advanced Certificate in Generative AI Apps Design and Prompt Engineering, giving participants the practical knowledge and frameworks needed to create AI-powered solutions that deliver real business value. On top of that, we have partnered with First City Providential College in Bulacan and Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga, with the intention of furthering Generative AI initiatives outside of Metro Manila.
10. Are you planning to scale the challenge or bring it to more communities across Southeast Asia? What’s next for Capabara and Straits Interactive in the region?
There are plans to run a second leg of the National AI Prompt Design Challenge during Q4 this year in Visayas and Mindanao. We are also always seeking to nurture more partnerships for Capabara and Straits Interactive in the region to continue making AI capabilities accessible.
11. There’s often fear that AI will replace jobs. What’s your message to young professionals or students who are anxious about automation?
I think the key thing to remember is that AI won’t replace you, but someone who knows how to use AI might.
There’s no denying that automation and AI are changing the workplace, and headlines about tech layoffs have only deepened fears that human jobs are under threat. But let’s put this into perspective.
Many of these layoffs came from companies right-sizing after over-hiring during the pandemic to meet the spike in digitalisation then. Furthermore, according to the 2023 Work Trend Index, most business leaders are looking to leverage AI to improve employee productivity, not reduce headcount. High on the list of priorities are automating repetitive yet necessary tasks, eliminating low-value activities, as well as augmenting the capabilities of existing talent to accelerate the pace and quality of their output. In last year’s IDC FutureScape report for the Asia Pacific region, generative AI is also projected to assume 30% of traditional marketing’s mundane tasks by 2027. In other words, we believe that AI will replace tasks, not jobs.
12. Finally, if a student or entrepreneur in the Philippines wants to start building with AI today, what’s the first, most practical step they can take - without needing a tech background?
The first step is simple, they need to start using Generative AI. Experimenting with the tools already available is the best way to understand what Generative AI can do and its limits. From there, the next step is to build skills in prompt engineering. If students are comfortable with English they already have an advantage. For many Filipinos, this means prompt engineering is a skill that can be learned quickly.
Despite its technical-sounding name, prompt engineering is really about writing prompts in plain English. It’s a powerful, non-technical skill that helps you get the most out of AI while using it responsibly. Participating in hackathons or prompt-related challenges like the ones we’ve run can also be a great way to practice and apply what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios.
This article was first published on The Daily Guardian on 19 July 2025.
