Killing creatives

I was inside a ballroom attending an event of one of the country's agencies when a video played on the giant screens. At first, it was interesting. A couple of drone shots highlighted the landscape, the production looked polished, and it seemed like the usual institutional presentation. Everything took a wrong turn when the voice-over spoke. It was artificial intelligence.

It was pretty obvious. The nuances were too stiff, some words could not be pronounced properly, and the mood did not match the energy of the visuals. The voice sounded clean but hollow, as if it had mastered pronunciation without ever learning emotion. I did a quick scan of the room, looking at the employees of that department. Surely, among the dozens of people present, there had to be at least one in 10 who could have read those lines for the presentation. It would not have cost much more than asking someone to step into a quiet room with a microphone for a few minutes.

Generative Artificial Intelligence disguises itself under the cloak of making work easier. In a sense, that is true. One saves time from looking for talent, scheduling a recording, and polishing the output in post-production. Deadlines become easier to beat. Budgets become easier to justify. Efficiency wins but somewhere in the process, we also eliminate the humanness that gives creative work its soul.

It is not just about voice-over talents. Even the simplest poster outside a business establishment now bears the unmistakable fingerprints of AI. Many have resorted to generated layouts instead of starting from scratch. The signs are a no-brainer: gibberish text hidden in the corners, impossibly shiny elements, awkward proportions, and the same fonts used over and over again. They are visually loud yet emotionally empty. A visual communicator would know that good design is not merely about making something look attractive; it is about communicating with intention. Only a human understands the subtle choices that make another human stop, look, and feel.

Today, there is much talk about Pax Silica, which will house an artificial intelligence powerhouse. Located in Tarlac City, it represents the country's ambition to become a regional hub for AI infrastructure and digital innovation. There is nothing inherently wrong with building the technology of the future. The Philippines cannot afford to be left behind in an increasingly AI-driven world but environmental implications should not also be compromised.

Technology should amplify human creativity, not erase it. The best stories are still those told with lived experience. The best photographs still come from patient observation. The best voices still carry emotion that no algorithm can convincingly replicate. Obviously, no machine can replicate these. The way we stand when it comes to protecting our creatives is crucial, especially for a country that is home to the best creatives. If we continue treating creativity as something that can simply be generated with a prompt, we may wake up one day realizing that what we have not just automated work but also placed brilliant minds in an awkward position.