Cebu City, Philippines—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) proudly launched Fiesta Haraya Bai 2024, a month-long celebration showcasing Filipino creativity, innovation, and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) within the creative industries of Central Visayas on November 8, 2024.
This festival, gathering around 200 entrepreneurs, students, industry leaders, and local creatives, highlighted how AI can revolutionize creative fields. DTI Undersecretary for Competitiveness Rafaelita Aldaba emphasized the DTI’s strategic alignment to prepare the Philippine creative sector for the digital era.
The launch of the festival coincided with the celebration of Philippine Creative Industries Month (PCIM), which aims to spotlight Cebu’s thriving creative ecosystem. Attendees engaged through exhibitions, workshops, and forums showcasing the talents and ingenuity of local artists and innovators.
The event kicked off with the AI Conference, themed “To Love or Not to Love: Creativity in the Time of AI,” which examined the intersection of human artistry and artificial intelligence. DTI Region 7 Director Maria Elena C. Arbon called the event “an important milestone,” highlighting the progress made since previous events such as AYO Events 2022 and FiestaKucha Cebu 2023.
Among the key conference sessions was “AI Essentials,” led by Luisa Abigail Go, where she introduced attendees to AI’s foundational applications across creative industries. She illustrated how AI can streamline artistic processes and automate repetitive tasks, thereby enhancing creativity.
Following this, Kendrick Geluz Kho tackled “AI Policy Paradigms,” discussing the ethical concerns surrounding AI's role in creativity, including the importance of policies to safeguard creative intellectual property and maintain ethical standards.
Gilbert T. Trinchera from KPMG Philippines presented insights on promoting ethical AI, stressing how responsible AI development can enrich the creative work produced. Carlo Almendral from AI Republic contextualized the discussion with “The State of AI in the Philippines,” unpacking the local AI scene and its untapped potential for creative innovation.
The festival's highlight was the diverse events lined up throughout November. Session themes, including “The Business of Creation” led by Marla Rausch, focused on commercial aspects of creative AI. Professor Eugene Rex L. Jalao presented “Generative AI as a Creative Tool,” showcasing practical applications for artists and creatives.
Succeeding sessions continued to explore the partnerships between AI and human creativity, including workshops like “Creativity in the Time of AI” on November 8 and the Writers Forum on November 13, which explored creative nonfiction and the role of AI enhancements for storytelling.
On November 16, Musika Haraya, backed by 22 Tango Music and Room 11 Studio, offered workshops highlighting music talent development, culminating in live performances to showcase the region’s vibrant musical culture. The Yabo Film Lab on November 17 provided filmmakers with intensive storytelling workshops, leading to breathtaking film presentations set to screen during the festival's grand finale.
Looking forward, the month promises innovation and collaboration through initiatives like Dwende Creative Sprint where writers, animators, musicians, and voice artists will collaborate on original animations, to be revealed at the festival’s awards ceremony. The grand closure will feature the Fiesta Haraya Bai Fair from December 6 to 8, showcasing the exceptional creativity birthed throughout the festival.
Meanwhile, on the fashion front, ‘MagicModel by woww.ai’ was unveiled as part of cutting-edge trends during the tech presentation. This AI-driven service allows brands to transform simple smartphone photos of apparel directly to professional model images, revolutionizing how clothing is marketed and showcased today.
Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan was abuzz as Blend-in Corporation introduced their latest innovation aimed at shaping the fashion image generation sector. By utilizing AI, the 'MagicModel' service enables brands to deliver high-quality imagery for clothing collections at unprecedented speeds, sometimes within just one week after uploading photographs.
This new service dismantles traditional barriers of time and cost associated with studio photography, allowing brands to test advertising content swiftly and efficiently. The process empowers users to initiate their creative journeys seamlessly and receive support through personalized retouching services, ensuring their desired visual outcomes are met.
Each image produced by the platform goes through stringent quality checks led by expert photographers who understand expectations around detail and craftsmanship, ensuring top-tier outcomes with every output.
By inviting brands to specify the poses, backgrounds, and even racial representation required for their images, 'MagicModel' epitomizes the intersection of AI and creativity. It's trailblazing advancements such as these set the stage for continuous evolution within the fashion industry, reflecting adapted practices and expansive possibilities.
Regardless, the buzz doesn’t stop there. At Adobe’s Web Summit 2024, the discussions intensified around how AI is not just enhancing the classical artistic techniques but democratizing creativity across the board. With AI-powered tools becoming increasingly mainstream, how brands and marketers leverage these tools could determine their success moving forward.
Industry leaders are aligning their strategies to adapt to new channels and audience preferences, where creators face unprecedented demand for visual content. According to Adobe’s State of Creativity report, significant creative tasks are now being pushed onto non-creatives, leading to questions about quality and brand consistency.
To meet these challenges, 75% of businesses are investing heavily in AI-powered software, which promises heightened efficiency and collaboration—even among teams with little creative expertise. Claire Darley, vice president at Adobe, points out the impact of tools like these, remarking on their ability to free up personnel for more strategic, engaging work.
The Sundance Film Festival reported substantial growth from their new content strategies powered by Adobe Express, seeing audience engagement jump after opting for more inclusive digital strategies.
Yet, even with all these advances, there exists a significant knowledge gap where nearly half of workers feel they haven't been trained to maximize these tools. Adobe urges companies to adopt proactive training, examining workflows to identify where AI can truly add value. Encouraging users to embrace AI tools isn’t just about keeping up—it’s also about fostering collaboration for everyone, enhancing the cultural fabric of creativity.
Whether it’s through festivals like Fiesta Haraya Bai or innovations like 'MagicModel', the momentum building around AI’s potential to ignite new creative narratives across diverse fields marks just the beginning. Amidst the excitement, the mantra of thoughtful exploration remains—how will AI continue to redefine the contours of human creativity?
