MANILA -- An animation director said Filipino animators should focus on creating their own content amid the boom of artificial intelligence.

Nelson "Blog" Caliguia Jr., whose animated short film "Sulayman" won Best Animated Film at the Pensacon 2024 Short Film Festival, said Filipinos can co-exist harmoniously with new technology.

"To be honest I think it will disrupt the job market, especially here in the Philippines that the local animation industry is primarily geared towards being a service provider," he said.

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"So I think the challenge now especially to local artists is to maybe shift to focus to content creation, especially if AI’s positive impact on the industry is that it would make the production side less painstaking, and there’s less investment in terms of manpower and labor."

"Maybe we could reshift and focus on idea development," he added.

He noted that Filipinos seem to be creating their own content now, but hopes more creators will do it in the future.

"I think the current thrust lately has been more towards creating our own content, creating our own intellectual property. It hasn’t yet bloomed yet the way that the service provider industry has bloomed, but I think it is the path forward when it comes to generating opportunities for our local animation artists," he said.

--ANC, 18 April 2024