Tributes to national heroes were done in various ways; a movie or even a series would do—an art that expresses their pride, but a so-called art by an AI is an insult rather than a tribute.
Before 2025 ended, a post from ‘HERO’ on Facebook gained the attention of the Filipino people; a first AI animated Filipino series by Creative AiniMation and CreatiVoices would be released early this year. Entitled ‘Pepe: Ang Batang Henyo,’ it tells the story of young Dr. Jose Rizal before being the Philippines’ national hero. There is nothing wrong with making a series out of Rizal’s childhood in order to educate the young, but the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to animate the series is.
In the said post, it claims that through the use of AI-powered animation and voice technology, it will “make history accessible, engaging, and deeply human.” Ironic as it sounds, the series being AI-powered itself is not even close to being human. Literally, no signs of human beings in the sneak-peeks given is in the post. The lack of real emotions, poor portrayals of real people already speaks for itself; it is all a joke and not a piece to educate.
At the same time, Rizal is an artist himself, one who puts effort, emotions, and passion into his art, similar to our country’s own animators, who pave the way in the industry. These animators are able to produce series such as Trese, Barangay 143, and many more. AI in animation making is an absolute insult to people who spend their time making things right in order for people to enjoy the show. Writing prompts into AI will never be considered as animation.
The thing is, this project alone is not the issue here, but how it crosses the line. It is not just about how insulting it could be for Rizal, but to other artists as well. The fact that some people agree with the use of AI for this project already proves that others would let AI replace people in other fields. Even if the producers’ advocacy is to use AI responsibly and ensure “ethical artificial intelligence,” none of these is actually ethical. Putting an artist and AI together in one sentence is all mockery.
Additionally, we cannot deny the fact that there are lots of artists, not just animators, who are already underpaid, or worse, unemployed. Using AI for projects that can be done by a real human being is equivalent to adding more obstacles for them to have a job. Innovation is great, but putting careers at risk is a shame. What people need to see on the big screen is an art truly made from the heart and not by something acting like a human.
Furthermore, in order to really honor Rizal, we don’t need AI to visualize the childhood of a hero and an artist in the making. Utilizing AI in the means of making art is just making nothing out of nothing. Regardless of trying to make it ethical, AI will never give the sincerity and realness we can have with real artists. What we need is a true masterpiece from a real-life artist, and not a foul one that tries to fool us.
Written by Jannah Jamila Dang-awan (Begonia), Insight PH
Jannah Jamila Dang-awan (Begonia), Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
