Integrated telco PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. turned over AI-in-a-Box packages to media organizations in Mindanao to help strengthen newsroom workflows and support digital transformation.
The package contains Smart 5G WiFi connectivity, load cards, and access to a premium ChatGPT subscription, giving newsrooms tools for research, content planning, and data analysis. The initiative aims to help journalists adopt artificial intelligence (AI) tools while maintaining responsible and ethical reporting.
“The AI-in-a-Box package supports our growth by giving our newsroom practical access to AI tools as we navigate digital transformation,” said Gladys Chu, CEO of Mindanao Gold Star Daily. “These resources will help our team strengthen research, storytelling, and content planning in a responsible, human-led way. It will also assist me in analyzing our data sets to better manage the organization. For a legacy media organization of our size, this support is both enabling and well-timed.”
“We are extremely thankful for the WiFi router, which helps provide redundancy in case of signal disruptions on our LAN internet, considering how critical uninterrupted connection is to our work. The AI tool will also help our newsroom with content generation to scale our social media campaign faster,” said Joel Escovilla, editor-in-chief of Mindanao Times.
Media practitioners in Cagayan de Oro and Davao earlier joined a workshop titled “AI in the Newsroom: Productivity, Ethics & Combating Misinformation,” led by journalist, technologist, and media advisor Jaemark Tordecilla.
The session covered newsroom applications of AI, including research support, fact-checking, writing and editing assistance, multimedia creation, and responsible use of chatbot and AI writing tools.