The Ateneo de Manila University’s Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) is looking at ways for artificial intelligence (AI) to augment and enhance—rather than replace—human labor in small businesses, which make up the bulk of the Philippine economy.
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The Ateneo de Manila University’s Student Enterprise Center houses a variety of student-led food stalls, an ideal test bed for AI-assisted tools aimed at empowering small businesses. PHOTO: Ccai Llamas / The Guidon |
BUILD researchers Zachary Matthew Alabastro, Joseph Benjamin Ilagan, Lois Abigail To, and Jose Ramon Ilagan pay particular attention to a very ubiquitous tool of everyday business: the humble pen-and-paper logbook. Low cost, simple, and reliable, this analog solution is indispensable for keeping track of the multitude of small items that change hands throughout the day in small businesses, from shopping center food stalls to neighborhood “sari-sari” or convenience stores.
