Tourism Malaysia is facing widespread criticism from netizens and industry leaders over its heavy use of artificial intelligence during the Citrawarna 2026 cultural showcase at Dataran Merdeka, a flagship event for the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign. The showcase, intended to spotlight the nation's cultural heritage, has instead triggered backlash over cultural inaccuracies, digital rendering errors, and the sidelining of local creative talent.
The controversy escalated in late June after Tourism Malaysia released a promotional video across its social media platforms. The video featured the official VM2026 mascots, Wira and Manja, set against AI-generated backgrounds depicting Dataran Merdeka, traditional dance troupes, and local cuisine. Viewers quickly spotted inaccurate food representations and a notable rendering error on the Jalur Gemilang national flag.
Live showcase deepens the divide
Dissatisfaction intensified during the live event, where attendees and online viewers estimated that roughly 90 per cent of the performance soundtrack and background music came from AI-generated audio compositions rather than live musical performances. The heavy reliance on Generative Video and audio tools throughout both the promotional material and the live showcase has drawn sharp criticism from industry representatives and members of the public.
Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia (Karyawan) president Datuk Freddie Fernandez raised concerns that the growing reliance on AI at the expense of local artists poses a significant risk to the creative industry. He pointed to a broader trend extending beyond Tourism Malaysia, noting that supporters in the ongoing Negeri Sembilan election campaign are already producing AI-generated songs and fan-made videos for their preferred parties.
A call for government intervention
"AI is a novelty these days. Some believe that using AI shows they are keeping up with the times, so they rush to jump on the bandwagon. However, in this case, it backfired completely," Fernandez said. He urged government intervention to safeguard the livelihoods of local artists, who risk being displaced by cost-cutting digital alternatives. "Somebody has to do something and it is best if that somebody is the government. They have to act fast because we definitely do not have the funds to undertake something like this," he said.
Industry representatives and members of the public have since called on Tourism Malaysia to reassess its promotional strategy and re-engage authentic local artists to represent the nation on the global stage. The backlash underscores a growing tension between budget-driven adoption of generative tools and the preservation of creative work.
Why this matters for creatives
The Citrawarna 2026 controversy is a concrete example of what happens when institutions treat AI-generated content as a direct substitute for human creative work rather than a complement to it. For creatives, the signal is clear: public audiences notice inauthenticity, and the reputational cost of getting it wrong can outweigh the upfront savings. Fernandez's call for government intervention also points to an emerging battleground over who gets paid when public-sector campaigns turn to AI for Creatives - a question that will only grow louder as more agencies weigh cost against craft.
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