Mika Salamanca is not a fan of using Artificial Intelligence to produce music videos, and she has a very personal reason for it.
During a backstage interview held before her album launch at the SM Sky Dome, the singer and content creator was asked about her thoughts on the growing use of AI in creating music videos, a process that traditionally takes days or even weeks for those working in the creative industry.
For Mika, AI does have its merits, but not when it comes to creative work that human ingenuity can handle on its own.
"Alam mo, may mga magagandang puwedeng madulot ‘yung AI. Pero siguro yung mga ganito na creative things na kaya ng mga tao para ma-squeeze yung brain juices natin, sana gamitin natin," Mika said.
She believes there is no shortage of talented individuals capable of producing high-quality creative content without leaning on AI, which is precisely why she finds it a waste when people choose to use it instead.
"Kasi sayang eh. Sobrang daming creative dito and naniniwala ako doon," she remarked.
When it comes to music videos in particular, Mika said the use of AI genuinely saddens her.
"Sa mga music video naman, to be honest, ako lang, para sa akin lang naman 'to, siyempre nalulungkot ako," she said.
The sentiment hits closer to home when you consider just how much effort went into her own music video for "Kasalanan," a track off her debut album Mahika. Mika and her entire team poured real work into it, including stunt training she had to personally undergo.
"Kasi, for example, sa music video ko, buong team kami talaga ang nag-iisip para sa music video na yun," she said. "Talagang ginagawa namin yung stunts, pinag-aaralan namin. Pati sila, pinag-aaralan nila."
Her message to those who rely on AI for creative output was straightforward: "Sana ma-squeeze pa natin yung mga sarili natin sa mga kaya pa nating ilabas na ideas."
Beyond the AI conversation, Mika opened up about how deeply personal her debut album was to her.
She described being hands-on throughout the entire process under Star Music, from the concept down to the final product.
"Sobrang saya ko kasi parang I always knew talaga na maglalabas ako ng album. Pero hindi ko inaasahan na sa ganitong paraan ko siya mailalabas sa Star Music – na hands-on, talagang pinag-isipan, galing sa puso," she said.
Having a full album launch, she admitted, still felt almost too good to be true.
"Talagang sinasabi ko nga sa sarili, 'Deserve ko ba 'to?' for a first-ever album launch. And sobrang saya ko na may nagtatangkilik na mga tao," she shared.
Looking ahead, Mika said her next goal is to level up her craft as an actress. She has previously appeared in the movie, And The Breadwinner Is… She currently appears in The Secrets of Hotel 88 and is eager to continue growing in that space.
"Lalo pa akong magpupursige para mag-grow sa mga field na yun. Kasi parang nagawa ko na lahat. Nag-music na po ako, nag-gaming community na rin, nag-mainstream, nag-vlogging, influencing, and content creating," she said.
"So feeling ko po, it's time for me to level up those things that I'm doing para mahubog pa ako sa mga ginagawa ko, lalo na sa acting,”she said.
To that end, Mika revealed she is currently undergoing acting workshops, treating every piece of feedback, whether online or from the people close to her, as constructive criticism she can learn from.
"Nagwu-workshop na po ako sa acting kasi I take everything na na-rereceive ko online and even sa mga taong nagmamahal sa akin, as constructive criticism talaga. So I use them as my stepping stone to become better in whatever field," she said.
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Having been through so much in the public eye, Mika said she has learned to tell the difference between hate and genuine guidance – and she credits that clarity to the people around her.
"Ako po kasi, I'm very open-minded – especially ang dami ko na pong pinagdaanan, ang dami ko na pong hates na pinagdaanan, love na pinagdaanan," she said.
"So, by this time, if hindi ko pa alam ang pagkakaiba nang nanghi-hate lang purely, na gusto akong turuan ng mga mahal ko, is problema ko na. Like, may problema na sa akin,” she added.
She went on to share that the people in her corner are not simply there to make her feel good.
"Yung mga taong nasa paligid ko, they're not really pleasing me, they love me. They don't please me. They love me. So they're teaching me kung ano yung mga tama sa mali,” she said.
—By Paolo Lim