National AI Prompt Design Challenge Philippines Spotlights Gen AI’s Transformative Potential Across Industries and Key Skill Development
METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 23 July 2025 – The recently concluded National AI Prompt Design Challenge (NAIPDC), organized by Singapore-based edtech and data governance company Straits Interactive in partnership with the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines (AAP), has provided compelling insights into the Philippines’ burgeoning AI landscape. The competition showcased a breadth of innovative applications from non-technical participants and underscored the critical emergence of prompt engineering as a vital skill for industry transformation. Beyond merely demonstrating the success of the competition, the NAIPDC revealed a vibrant eagerness among Filipinos to engage with AI, driving forward a vision of accessible and impactful AI integration that promises to reshape various sectors.
The challenge, which saw nearly 600 participants from over 20 industries and 40 schools from Metro Manila all the way to Quezon and Pangasinan, demystified the notion that AI is solely for programmers and computer scientists. Instead, it highlighted that anyone can build a Gen AI app, particularly through the power of prompt engineering, paving the way for broader business adoption.
Key Insights and Captivating Innovations from the NAIPDC:
Making AI Accessible for Diverse Industries
The challenge proved that AI development is not confined to AI developers and programmers. Participants from various sectors like Education, Business, Finance, and Marketing successfully built functional no-code AI applications. This underscores how Gen AI tools coupled with domain expertise can enable wider industry adoption of Gen AI solutions.
Transformative AI Applications Across Key Sectors
The nearly 200 submitted applications revealed remarkable creativity and a strong inclination towards real-world problem-solving and industry transformation. Among these, solutions aimed at the digitalization of government services stood out, highlighting the potential to improve efficiency and accessibility of public services through Generative AI.
Noteworthy apps included:
● Export Buddy: An AI assistant guiding aspiring Filipino exporters through their end-to-end journey, providing 24/7, context-aware, step-by-step guidance from readiness to compliance and post-export support. It aims to demystify the process and augment human officers.
● BldgGuide PH: An AI chatbot designed to help building owners and contractors understand and comply with the Philippine Building Code, offering clear, step-by-step guidance on securing permits. It reduces reliance on manual inquiries and promotes smoother, more compliant construction processes.
● Kuya FReady: A localized AI chatbot guiding young Filipinos through applying for government IDs and official documents, providing personalized, step-by-step instructions.
Other impactful applications showcased in the challenge included:
● Enhanced Work Productivity Tools, such as AI-powered email builders and business planning assistants, showcasing how AI can augment business productivity and innovation;
● Creative and Personalized AI Tutors, such as one app called CodeQuest, which gamifies learning to make coding education more engaging and motivating, demonstrating AI’s potential to revolutionize education by tailoring learning experiences and overcoming common challenges in self-study;
● Diagnostic Assistants and Image Analyzers: Including solutions for pest control and financial planning, highlighting the potential of AI to transform even niche industries. ● Culturally Steeped Innovations: Unique apps engaging with Filipino heroes or virtual
cultural teachers, which demonstrates how AI can also help promote and spread awareness of local culture.
Prompt Engineering: The Foundational Skill for AI-Driven Industries The challenge reinforced the thought that prompt engineering is a crucial skill everyone needs to learn, if we want to transform the Philippine economy. Because Prompt Engineering is “programming with the English language,” it empowers domain experts with no prior AI knowledge to create powerful AI assistants tailored to their specific workflows.
Kevin Shepherdson, Founder and CEO of Straits Interactive, commented on the outcomes: “The overwhelming participation and the sheer ingenuity seen in the app submissions have reinforced our belief that AI is truly for everyone. The NAIPDC has shown that prompt engineering, paired with domain expertise, can lead to incredibly powerful and relevant AI solutions, empowering Filipinos from all backgrounds to innovate and transform their respective industries.”
Expanding AI Capabilities Beyond Metro Manila
With finalists coming from schools and companies both in and outside Metro Manila, the NAIPDC showcased immense untapped potential and a nationwide enthusiasm for AI learning and innovation. This highlights the opportunity to democratize AI capabilities across the archipelago, aligning with sustainable development goals and fostering industry growth in diverse regions.
AI Augmentation Redefines Industry Roles, Not Replaces Them
The NAIPDC reinforced the message that “AI won’t replace you – but someone who knows how to use AI might.” The focus remains on AI augmenting human capabilities and enabling more value-added work, rather than widespread job displacement.
The NAIPDC also served as a practical demonstration of how Capabara, Straits Interactive’s adaptive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Generative AI platform, enables non-technical users to build customized AI tools with zero coding. Its intuitive, no-code interface and support for multiple Large Language Models (LLMs) proved instrumental in allowing participants to quickly translate their ideas into functional applications, accelerating industry adoption.
Straits Interactive is committed to deepening AI literacy in the Philippines through partnerships with various educational institutions, delivering advanced certificates and fostering AI initiatives to prepare the workforce for an AI-driven future.
The insights from the NAIPDC signal a promising future for the Philippines in the AI economy, with a workforce increasingly equipped to leverage AI for innovation and productivity across all sectors. To culminate the NAIPDC experience, exceptional apps from the NAIPDC will be showcased at the Virtual Reunion and Closing Ceremony of the NAIPDC on Aug 1, which will be streamed via Facebook Live. Visit ai-promptchallenge.com/ph for the live link and updates.
About Straits Interactive
Straits Interactive is a leading edtech company committed to enabling organisations to thrive in a business landscape defined by Generative AI. With our pedigree in delivering robust Data Protection and Governance solutions for organisations, we continue to be trusted advisors and champion responsible AI adoption and data governance across the region. Our innovative Capability-as-a-Service model goes beyond traditional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) by delivering comprehensive solutions that encompass human capital development, platform enablement, governance-by-design, and scalable expertise.
Through our Capabara platform, we provide ready-to-deploy Gen AI solutions tailored for diverse sectors. We focus on not just offering software, but empowering organisations to use it meaningfully, ethically, and sustainably. Our AI-enhanced training, coupled with expert-led advisory services, helps drive operational excellence and foster trust in today’s intelligent data-driven world. Recognised as one of the top ten “Outstanding and Promising Start-ups” at the inaugural Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) Startup Awards, Straits Interactive is at the forefront of transforming the landscape of AI and data governance in Singapore and beyond. In addition, we were honoured at the Singapore Business Review’s Technology Excellence Awards 2025 for our innovative use of Gen AI to transform the Learning & Development landscape.
For more information, visit https://www.straitsinteractive.com/