Hired to draw, told to prompt: How AI is changing creative work in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR – Drawing has always been a passion for Malaysian illustrator Ain Moses, 25, whose recent account of how generative artificial intelligence is transforming the publishing industry went viral on Instagram.After graduating with a degree in graphic design in 2025, Ain joined a textbook publisher, expecting to begin her career as an illustrator. Instead, she was shocked to discover that the craft she had practised for most of her life is being displaced by Gen AI.“I was hired as an illustrator, but I ended up becoming a prompt editor,” Ain told The Straits Times.Prompt editing involves entering written instructions into a generative AI platform to produce a desired visual output, a process far removed from the hands-on illustration work Ain had envisioned.A study by Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources in August 2025 projected that AI would affect as many as 620,000 Malaysian workers in sectors including aerospace, electronics manufacturing, energy, food, global business services, infomation and communications technology (ICT), medical devices, pharmaceuticals and retail.But the study did not cover the creative industries, where the rapid adoption of Gen AI is already reshaping work as businesses experiment with inexpensive tools capable of producing illustrations, copy, images and other creative material once commissioned from professionals.A separate study in June 2026 by Institute of Strategic & International Studies Malaysia economist Calvin Cheng, which highlighted multimedia design and advertising among AI-exposed fields, found that degree-holders in highly exposed occupations had a 78 per cent higher rate of job losses, while workers aged 25 to 34 also faced significantly greater job-loss risks as AI exposure rose.The creative sector – group together with advertising, marketing and public relations professionals – recorded by far the highest rate of job-loss cases among the occupations studied, with 1,087 loss-of-employment cases for every 1,000 workers between 2022 and 2025, according government data.The figure accounts for job losses, taking into consideration that some of the same individuals have lost their jobs more than once in the span of three years.Although Gen AI hit mainstream circa 2022, while Ain was studying at Universiti Teknologi Mara, she said it received little attention in her coursework beyond lecturers warning students not to use it for assignments.“At that time, the quality of these AI platforms was bad,” Ain said. “I didn’t think it could go this far.”Its use has since surged in Malaysia, including in the public sector, where government departments have begun publishing AI-generated posters, infographics and social media content.The technology is also moving beyond static images.In April, national broadcaster RTM introduced two AI-generated avatars, Aaron Lim and Che Rita, as public service announcers reminding Malaysians to stay safe during the Hari Raya holidays.The move followed the introduction in September 2025 of AI radio presenters Aira and Dio, which RTM said would help it keep pace with listeners’ “changing tastes”.The recent Johor state election saw political parties using AI to churn out campaign videos, social media posts and songs attacking political rivals, employing free tools like AI music generator Suno.Voiceover artists, however, are less enthusiastic about the technology’s growing presence in their industry.A survey by Voice Guild Malaysia, which represents professional voice over artistes, found that AI had wiped out as much as 30 per cent of jobs among its 154 members.Conducted between November 2025 and February 2026, the survey found that English- and Chinese-language talents were the most severely affected, with English-language artists reporting a decline of more than 50 per cent.One voiceover artist who has been in the industry for over 10 years told ST that she had been partly insulated from the downturn thanks to her bilingual skills in English and Malay.“So far, the market for Malay talent is still unaffected,” said the artist, who asked not to be identified.She attributed this to AI’s ongoing difficulties with the Malay language and its many dialects, which are needed to reach specific communities.“The current (AI) models also confuse Malay with Indonesian, which is a major turn-off for clients,” she said.While many creative professionals hold a mix of fear and scepticism of AI, one Malaysian company sees an opportunity to bridge the gap between humans and the technology through the use of “digital twins”.A digital twin is an AI-generated replica of a real performer that can reproduce the person’s appearance, voice and mannerisms in new content.“We see AI as a tool for creativity, not a replacement,” said Proxifai founder Daniel Yap.“AI should not replace people, but augment what a human can do.”Founded in May 2026, Proxifai allows talents and influencers to license their likenesses for use in AI-generated content.Yap, a veteran of the advertising industry, described the model as a potential win-win situation. Brands gain content with a recognisable human presence and access to the talent’s existing fan base, while performers can earn from the use of their likeness without having to participate in every production.He cited studies projecting that the global virtual-influencer market could grow by about 40 per cent annually and reach between US$46 billion (S$58.2 billion) and US$63 billion by 2030. This figure encompasses the whole virtual-influencer ecosystem, including the software solutions used to create them, which makes up 70 per cent of the figure.Yap said the process is similar to acting in front of a camera, where talents retain control over the script and how their image is depicted.Contracts could include provisions to give performers the right to have their digital replicas deleted once an agreement ends, he added.“With a digital twin, you can sleep at home while making money,” Yap said.Malaysia actor Redza Minhat, however, expressed strong reservations about the concept of a digital twin, arguing that it spells the loss of meaning in visual art.“I believe authentic portrayals of human experiences should come from humans who understand what those experiences mean,” Redza told ST. “Otherwise it is just hollow and derivative.”He added, however, that such concerns might not mean much to those who seek to profit from it.But a recent experiment with a digital twin by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has cast negative light on the concept.In July, Anwar launched “PMX AI”, a chat platform that allowed members of the public to interact with his digital twin and share their views, concerns and aspirations.The service was later taken offline after its embarrassing performance, with one user on X sharing screenshots of the Prime Minister’s chatbot telling him not to vote for Anwar in the next election.Others discovered that it behaved much like any other AI chatbot, with some even asking the Prime Minister’s digital twin to suggest holiday itineraries, which it readily did.Yet amid both the anxiety and excitement surrounding AI, illustrator Ain’s experience suggests an appetite remains for art created by people.She said the response to her Instagram post had been overwhelmingly positive. It has received seven million views to date, while her following grew from about 600 to 9,500.“Because of the post, I got a job offer to illustrate a children’s storybook for a client in Seattle,” said Ain, who has since resigned from the textbook publishing company.“I was also hired to come up with character designs for a theme park in Los Angeles.”She advised others in her situation to not give up or be afraid to go into the creative field.“We live in an age where avoiding AI is impossible, but letting it dictate our lives is a choice.”Sign up for our weekly Asian Insider Malaysia Edition newsletter to make sense of the big stories in Malaysia.