Iloilo poets write on-the-spot poem to show what AI can't replace

The project has been running for three years.

A group of poets in Iloilo is bringing back the personal touch of writing by creating poems for passersby on the spot—one typewriter keystroke at a time.

In a first-person Reel posted by Facebook user Hannah Orteguia on July 20, members of Ambahan: Iloilo Typewriter Poets Collective are seen stationed at Molo Mansion with a jeepney sign-style poster that reads, “Poetry made in Iloilo City = City of Love.”

The group’s message is clear: their works are “not AI,” “on the spot,” and “typewritten for the soul.”

Another poster shows the collective’s other offerings, including prose, flash fiction, and sulat Baybayin calligraphy. The group sets up every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 PM, inviting people to “Pay what you can” for their pieces.

In the video, poet Ges Jaicten sits behind a vintage typewriter and asks Hannah, “Would you like us to write a poem for you for any amount?”

When Hannah asks how long they’ve been doing the activity, Ges says it has been ongoing since the start of the year, though the project itself has been running for three years.

Hannah wonders if she can choose any topic, admitting she’s “so scared of what the future holds for me.” Ges suggests writing about “the uncertainty of it,” and she agrees.

The video then captures Ges quietly typing the poem, before signing the finished piece and handing it over.

Ges, an AB Literature graduate who hopes to pursue a Master of Arts in Creative Writing, says he is saving up for his studies “bit by bit.” He also shows their organization’s zines, including his own collection of poems and poetics exploring the value of human creativity in the age of AI.

“I decided to write poems about the unrelenting human spirit, and how it cannot be replaced by technology,” he says.

The video ends with Hannah shaking hands with Ges.

“you can… leave with something no algorithm can truly replicate, a poem written just for you,” Hannah wrote in the caption. “let’s continue supporting local artists.”