MY actors give moral support in Astro's AI-powered social media initiative

Media and entertainment company Astro has collaborated with Talon Creative to launch an AI-driven initiative aimed at empowering and providing support for those in need via positive social media engagement. 

The initiative brings together actors Mieul Aiman and Shasha Abedul from Astro original series Project; Exit and leverages Astro's social media presence to give moral support to those in need directly on social media.

“We're excited to introduce this new initiative to support Project; Exit which uses AI in a relevant way to foster positive social interactions. We believe that content can go beyond the screen and it can have an uplifting effect on people's lives. By leveraging the crossroads of content, celebrity and technology, we hope to inspire young audiences and support the community at large,” said Tai Kam Leong, chief sales and marketing officer, Astro.

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“Project; Exit addresses some tough issues that many Malaysians are facing and we saw an opportunity to go beyond just telling stories and actually reach out to the audience to show that they were not alone,” said Gavin Teoh, managing director, Talon Creative.

The initiative uses a social listening system to identify posts expressing emotions such as sadness and frustration, after which AI-generated personalised messages are sent in response. These messages mimic the style and tone of the cast members to provide support and encouragement.

Since its inception, the initiative has generated up to 50 personalised responses daily. The project has amassed 3,200 mentions and contributions from 1,200 authors after its two-episode release. Feedback has been positive, with many appreciating the comforting effect of AI-generated messages, according to a press statement seen by A+M. In addition, some influencers have discussed the potential of AI in enhancing mental health awareness.

The initiative can be tracked using the hashtag #ProjectExit. Meanwhile, additional content is available on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, Astro Gempak, and Astro Shaw.

This initiative comes after Astro unveiled a campaign centering the visually impaired following the launch of drama Dari mata turun ke hati ('From the eyes down to the heart') last month in October. The show Dari mata turun ke hati tells a story of Iris Sofea, a visually impaired young woman and Jai, a gangster, portrayed respectively by up-and-coming Malaysian stars in Arabella Ellen and Mierul Aiman. 

The campaign, also created in collaboration with Talon Creative, featured an enhanced streaming experience with its first locally produced audio description track for a Malay drama. The track provides verbal descriptors of the show, interwoven with the dialogue, allowing visually impaired viewers to experience the narrative of the show and fully immerse themselves in the content. 

In addition, social media posts that mimicked the visually impaired Iris Sofea's experience were created as part of the campaign. This gave the audience a glimpse into her world, bringing the visually impaired community and general public closer together.

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