A Hermeneutics Phenomenological Study on the Untold Experiences of SGADA-BARMM Employees on Utilizing ChatGPT

This study revolves around how SGADA-BARMM employees utilize ChatGPT in their daily operations. This qualitative research employing Hermeneutic Phenomenology aimed at determining the experiences of SGADA – BARMM Employees on utilizing ChatGPT in their operational functions, their challenges experienced on utilizing ChatGPT in the context of the quality deliverables and outputs, their suggestions to improve the use of ChatGPT by government employees in their daily operational functions, and implications for the quality management system. Results show that the experiences of SGADA – BARMM employees on using ChatGPT in their Operational Functions transition from blank page drafter to fast reviser, cognitive scaffold for structure & context, prompt-engineering frustration & skill acquisition, and ambivalent feelings. Challenges identified include connectivity issues in remote governance settings, a mismatch of AI outputs with local contexts, prompting challenges, and the demand for specificity, verification, and critical editing of outputs, concerns about dependency and intellectual laziness, and misinterpretation due to ambiguity and abbreviations. Suggestions posed are demand for AI literacy and structured training, responsible use: assistive but not authoritative, integration into document-centered workflows, gaps in awareness and digital confidence, and infrastructure and access improvements. Implications of this study revolve around professional quality writing and communication, speed and quality trade-off, human oversight and ISO alignment, AI literacy, prompt engineering, policy support, and long-term systemic effects.