Liezl Formilleza-Dunuan
- Working With (Not Against) the Machine: How I Use AI Without Losing My Voice - August 28, 2025
- Soundness, Intensity, and the Choice to Resist: Writing with Agency in the Age of AI - August 21, 2025
- Exploring Creativity with AI - August 7, 2025
I didn’t start using AI for anything creative. My first question to ChatGPT was about food—specifically, how to make a weekly meal plan for my family of five adults and one child in Baguio City. It was late 2023, and I’d just heard someone describe how helpful it could be for planning meals. I was curious, maybe a little skeptical. But mostly, I wanted to see what the fuss was about.
It churned out a full week’s worth of meals in seconds—breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks. Because I’d mentioned I lived in Baguio, the ingredients it listed were mostly local and accessible. The meals were balanced and even accounted for variety and potentially picky eaters. I thought, “Okay, that’s kind of amazing.”
Then it asked if I wanted a shopping list. A few seconds later, it gave me one—complete with quantities for meat, vegetables, and other staples. I wasn’t expecting that level of detail. It was practical, efficient, and surprisingly thoughtful for something I’d assumed was just a chatbot.
Around that time, I knew colleagues were already using it to draft letters, emails, and work documents. My first attempt to use it professionally was writing job descriptions and terms of reference for project-based staff. I didn’t give much context, assuming it would just “get it.” What followed were several rounds of back-and-forth—tweaking, clarifying, adjusting—until I got something usable.
It was a bit clunky at first, but the more I used it, the more I learned how to make the most of it. Being clear and specific in my prompts made all the difference. Over time, I started using it for reports, summaries, brainstorming, and drafting concept notes.
As I gained confidence, I started to wonder if it could also support my more creative pursuits. I wasn’t sure what that would look like. Creative work had always felt deeply personal. But the idea of having a tool to bounce ideas off of—or to help get past mental blocks—began to feel less far-fetched.
So I started small: using it to draft social media captions for local events I was covering in Baguio. That’s when I learned that context alone wasn’t enough. Specifying the tone and perspective was just as important. Did I want the caption to sound excited or informative? Should it sound like me, or like a neutral announcer?
The more precise I was, the better the results. It didn’t feel like outsourcing. It felt like steering a conversation. I still had to make choices, revise, and shape the final voice—but the process became faster, more focused, and less intimidating.