The year 2025 will see studios and productions no longer shy away from using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their productions. On Netflix, the special effects of the Eternaut series were generated using AI and Malaysia's Abu Si Raksasa became the first to use the AI gene to produce special effects. On January 1, the Pirate Queen: Zheng Yi Sao became the first film to be generated entirely using generative AI to be released on Malaysian screens.
Pirate Queen: Zheng Yi Sao was produced in collaboration with local studio Future Studio and Singapore's FizzDragon. It tells the story of the life of the pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao who lived between 1775–1844 and controlled the shipping lanes of the South China Sea. At the height of her power, Zheng Yi Sao led a fleet of 400 ships and up to 70,000 pirates.
The epic film Pirate Queen: Zheng Yi Sao only cost around SGD 900,000 (~RM 2.8 million) to produce with IMDB showing it had 8 directors. Which AI gene model was used to produce Pirate Queen: Zheng Yi Sao was not disclosed by Future Studio and FizzDragon.
The public's response to this first fully AI-generated film will be a yardstick for whether there is a market for films without human actors or voice actors in Malaysia.
