Earlier this month, following heavy backlash from anime and cosplay fans, Cos-Mic Asia issued an apology for inviting the AI band The Alice Experiment to perform at its event, held from 12th to 14th September at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre. The band was subsequently removed from the weekend’s performance line-up.
Earlier this week, the creators came forward to share their side of the story of their goal in creating The Alice Experiment. Unfortunately for them, their explanation only drew further backlash. Here’s what happened:
In an interview with the New Straits Times, The Alice Experiment creators Raz Gabriel Sho of Pixelcrest and Rizal Kamal of LOL Asia explained their reasons for creating an AI band. “There’s something very delicate and powerful about a woman. And to put them in a very strong environment, it has great contrast,” said Raz, while Rizal added that he wanted to form a female-centred band to inspire his two daughters.
The duo also revealed plans to expand The Alice Experiment into other media, such as comic books, citing their admiration for Marvel and DC. One remark that particularly riled up the internet was Raz’s comparison of his work to the hit Netflix film “K-pop Demon Hunters”, saying it was no different from what he does. Many took to Twitter to criticise the creators over the comment, pointing out that the film took nearly a decade to complete and involved skilled artists and professionals at every stage, from writing and concept art to animation, voicing, and singing.
Others accused Raz and Rizal of hypocrisy, noting that they had not recruited actual female talent to provide the singing voices or write for the band, despite their message of women’s empowerment. Some also questioned the marketing of The Alice Experiment as a Malaysian AI band, noting that it contained no apparent Malaysian elements in the group members’ names, image or music, which instead drew inspiration from Korean and Japanese influences.
At the time of writing, only Rizal Kamal had responded to the accusation of not working with female talent, stating that they had collaborated with several artists in the industry, including Dolla, Yuna, Ella and Aisha Retno. However, this clarification did little to justify the creation of an AI band. What are your thoughts on this issue?
Watch the interview video below:
