In the Philippines, late October is a time of quiet visits to cemeteries, of lighting candles for loved ones, and of stories whispered under dim yellow bulbs. We call it Undas, a season of remembrance, reflection, and the thin line between the living and the departed.

Yet in our schools, another kind of presence has begun to stir. It doesn’t roam at midnight or hide in mango trees, but it moves through screens and search boxes. Some call it helpful, others uncanny. It’s not a multo or aswang, but something just as powerful – Artificial Intelligence. Like many spirits in Filipino lore, AI inspires both awe and unease. It promises to lighten our burdens yet sometimes feels like it watches too closely. It can help us teach, create, and reflect, but it can also tempt us to forget what it means to truly learn.

So as candles flicker this Undas season, let’s visit the haunted corners of our classrooms and meet the eight digital spirits that now dwell among us.

1. The White Lady of Replacement

She appears suddenly, glowing, confident, whispering: “AI will replace teachers.” But like every white lady story, the truth is never that simple. AI may appear powerful, but it lacks the warmth of human presence, the instinct to comfort, to encourage, to listen. Teachers are not being replaced. They are being redefined. The real curse is not using AI at all.

2. The Aswang of Authenticity

The aswang looks human by day but changes form at night, just as some AI-generated essays pretend to be students’ own work. When misused, AI drains the life from authentic learning. The antidote? Shine the light of reflection and reasoning. Ask learners to show their thinking, to explain their process. Originality survives where honesty thrives.

3. The Enchanted Mirror of Bias

Every Filipino household seems to have an old mirror. One that is slightly cracked, slightly cursed. Stare too long, the elders say, and you might see something else staring back. AI, too, reflects what we feed it. If we give it biased data, it mirrors injustice. Teachers must teach digital discernment — to question, to analyze, to understand that truth must be polished before it can be trusted.

4. The Mangkukulam’s Spellbook

Prompt engineering is the new “kulam.” Say the right words, and the machine obeys. But as every mangkukulam knows, power without wisdom is dangerous. Teachers must become ethical spell-casters, crafting prompts that bring insight, not shortcuts. The magic is not in the tool but in the teacher who knows what to summon and why.

5. The Ghost of Homework Past

Traditional homework is a restless spirit. Once alive, now lifeless, a worksheet wandering through Google Docs. But resurrection is possible. AI can help teachers design creative tasks that go beyond copying and pasting. These are learning tasks and projects that demand critical thought, personal reflection, and collaboration. It’s not a ghost of learning, but a rebirth.

6. The Kapre of Complacency

The kapre hides in the branches of old trees, huge and silent, smoking endlessly as it watches from above. Those who linger too long beneath its tree lose their sense of time and purpose. AI can be like that kapre, powerful and tempting, ready to do our work for us. At first, it feels like help. Then, slowly, it lulls us into comfort. Lessons stop growing. Creativity stops climbing. To outwit the kapre, teachers must keep moving. The danger is not in using AI but in sitting too long beneath its tree.

7. The Mischievous Dwende (Ansisit) of Data

Dwende, ansisit for the Ilocanos, hide in corners and under trees, unseen but always watching. When disrespected, they play tricks, moving things and causing confusion. AI has its own dwende hiding in the code, quietly collecting data and shaping what we see. Teachers must stay alert and ask who owns the data and who benefits. As our elders say, tabi-tabi po. Awareness and respect keep the unseen from turning against us.

Light and Warmth from the Eternal Flame

In Filipino cemeteries, candles burn long after midnight, their gentle glow keeping memory and meaning alive. In this age of AI, teachers are that same light. Technology may reveal knowledge, but only teachers can give it warmth, conscience, and soul.  So this Undas, let us light our candles not in fear of what AI might become, but in hope for what it can help us create. For no machine can ever replace the Filipino teacher who teaches with wisdom, compassion, and heart, the eternal flame that keeps learning truly alive.

AI Declaration: ChatGPT was used to create the images and for grammar improvements. All ideas are original conceptions of the author.