Walang Sustansya ang Generative A.I.
Updated: Sep 21
Hi guys, ako po si Gerard, the recently-appointed Executive Director for the Multimedia Arts Council of the Philippines. As a volunteer for the Council, it is my hope to also contribute to the overall Multimedia Community by sharing my experiences in the industry through articles like these para maka-tulong mag guide sa ating mga fellow artists, lalo na sa turbulent times ngayon in art and multimeda, especially with the growing use of Generative AI.
From July 14 to 15, 2026, UNIDO (the United Nations Industrial Development Organization) hosted members of the the Southeast Asian creative industry to explore opportunities to work with Japan, particularly for their animation and gaming sectors. In that forum, I had the pleasure of meeting and collaborating with brilliant and talented members of the Philippine community of artists, one of whom was Dean Abdulmari "Toym" Imao, Jr. of the UP College of Fine Arts.
On September 13, 2026, on behalf of the Multimedia Arts Council, I attended Dean Toym's talk held in Ayala Museum entitled, "Paying it Forward, Moving Forward: Of National Artists, the National University, and a Nation's Relation to the Arts."
During his talk, Dean Imao described how the art industry developed and grew in the Philippines, particularly during the Spanish occupation. He pointed out that most of the Filipino Revolutionaries that spurred the Philippine Revolution were artists (Rizal was a writer and a sculptor, Andres Bonifacio was an illustrator, Luna was a painter, etc.). From this, he told the story of how the first College of Fine Arts started in Binondo in the 1800's and how it flourished and eventually became one of the first colleges when the University of the Philippines was established in the early 1900's. He highlighted that UP had its beginnings with colleges and courses that were meant to nourish both the body and the mind: first with medicine, then fine arts, liberal arts, and then agriculture. He seamlessly wove historical facts with funny stories, kaya ang sarap pakinggan ng mga kuwento ni Dean and nakaka-inspire talaga.
Dean Imao emphasized din that despite the opinion of certain politicians (who he did not name but we still all knew who he was referring to) that art appreciation and ethics should be removed from higher learning, art education is actually crucial for the country's soul. Omitting art appreciation from colleges will lead to the country losing one its most fundamental sense of identity, history, and humanity. Ang art ay hindi lang basta pagdo-drawing; Art is how a Nation remembers who it is, how it understands and expresses its truths, and how it imagines its future.
After his lecture, Dean Imao opened the floor to the audience for questions. Since it was mentioned that art is a vital part of looking toward the future, of course the topic of generative AI was raised be several attendees. Dean Imao answered with a very inspiring quote saying (and I apologize because I am paraphrasing since I wasn't able to record his statement), "Consuming and relying on Generative AI Art is like cooking and eating instant noodles – it's easier and faster to do, and it takes care of our hunger temporarily. But we all know we shouldn't eat it every day. It's different from your home cooked meal. Wala siyang sustansya." Dean Imao then emphasized that while AI it does have it advantages, it should be used with caution.
Having also studied film under Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Dean Imao admitted that technology, through Animation and CGI, has helped elevate story telling for the Filipino. However, he warned that AI leads to issues with accountability and its effects towards society.
Consuming and relying on Generative AI Art is like cooking and eating instant noodles – it's easier and faster to do, and it takes care of our hunger temporarily. But we all know we shouldn't eat it every day. It's different from your home cooked meal. Wala siyang sustansya.
One example he also shared is, how AI News Anchors are not allowed because there should be credibility and accountability from our news sources. He asked, "Paano kung hindi pala totoo ang sinabi, sino ang accountable? Si ChatGPT ba, si Gemini or Claude?" From what I understand, hindi kasi ito magiging tulad ng dati na kapag mali ang nabigay na facts, the appropriate people or authorities will be held accountable. If it's AI, sino ang hahabulin mo kung hindi naman tao ang nagsasalita? And we cannot simply demand accountability from a machine kasi they're not people and they don't have a soul. Hindi naman mahihiya yan eh.
Dean Imao concluded his lecture by sharing that unlike before where the mindset around artists were a bit more conservative that it should be traditional medium only, he (and the College of Fine Arts, under his leadership) is open to art that is technology-assisted, provided of course, that it will only be used to help the artist elevate and express his/her art, and should not replace the artist as the true author and creator of the story behind the art.
I left the talk super inspired and full of hope knowing na, as artists, we really make a difference, as proven time and again by history. Artists help inspire the soul, awaken feelings in others, and can even motivate a nation to rebel against the status quo.
And while AI is becoming more prevalent, it should be treated as a tool and not as a substitute for ideas, creativity, and heart. Despite technology, it is still a fundamental truth that it's us as the artists, not AI, that will continue to make a difference in shaping the future.
Despite technology, it is still a fundamental truth that it's us as the artists, not AI, that will continue to make a difference in shaping the future.
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Hi guys, this is my first article for the Multimedia Arts Council of the Philippines. Ako si Gerard and meron akong Youtube Channel at Facebook page called Digital Guro Tutorials. It has hyper-localized content presented in the Filipino language, and its aim is to be able to provide Filipinos, from beginners to more experienced practitioners, with step-by-step resources for Multimedia, Film, Design and Media Technologies. The Youtube account has over 5,000 followers and the Facebook page reached 80,000 followers, so I'm happy to know that there is an interest in that type of content and that members of the Multimedia community in the Philippines are always eager to learn from each other.
