By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 14: The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) has made it clear that it backs people using emerging tools to overcome traditional barriers to creative production, including artificial intelligence (AI)-produced animation ‘Michiru’.
In a press release, MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said the council’s support should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any particular technology, but rather as support for creators.
“In the past, producing animations required a large studio, a sizeable team, a long production period, and substantial funding. For young creators in a city like Kuching, these requirements could make it extremely difficult to even begin.
“Today, new tools are allowing young people to experiment and create in ways that were previously beyond their reach. Technology will continue to change. But the person sitting in front of the computer late at night is still a person. The person writing the story is a person. The imagination, effort, and decision to tell a story about Kuching belong to them,” he said.
H added that Kuching’s development as a creative city must ultimately include opportunities for young Sarawakians to build and express their talent at home.
“We want Kuching to become a place where our young talents do not feel that they must first move to Kuala Lumpur or overseas before they are able to create, experiment and be taken seriously.
“If Kuching can provide an environment where young people have the confidence, opportunities and platforms to create here, then our city will not only retain talent. We will create new stories, new industries and new possibilities of our own.
“Today may be one small screening in one cinema, but it is also a small step in that direction,” he said.
‘Michiru’, a 30-minute AI-produced animation set in Kuching, was screened to the public for free at GSC Cinemas, The Spring Shopping Mall here on Sept 12.
The production also uses AI animation technology, an approach that has sparked discussion online.
Wee said the animation was special because it showed places Kuchingites know and see every day from a different perspective.
“A young person wants to be seen. In many ways, a city does too. We spend a great deal of effort telling people outside Sarawak what Kuching has to offer.
“This time, our young people are doing it themselves, using their own imagination, language and creative tools to tell the world about their city.” — DayakDaily
