Nine Awaken is Hong Kong’s first animation produced entirely with artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to the feature screening, behind-the-scenes clips provided insights into how AI technology was applied in the production.

Director and scriptwriter Amos Why, Art Director Frankie Fan, together with Professor Isaac Leung and Mr Chan Ka-ming from the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, shared the challenges encountered during production. For instance, the random nature of AI generation required the team to refine their use of prompts and references to a very high level of precision.

Amos highlighted the film’s significance as a milestone in AI development, noting that Nine Awaken reflects the state of AI technology at a particular historical moment. Frankie emphasised AI’s ability to streamline workflows and reduce costs, allowing creators to focus on storytelling and refinement.

The Q&A session drew active engagement from students, academic staff, and members of the public, who raised questions on AI’s future applications and its implications for production time and budgeting. These exchanges enriched the discussion and prompted deeper consideration of both the opportunities and the limitations of the technology.

The Faculty of Arts thanks all participants for their support and engagement. We will continue to organise events on diverse and interdisciplinary topics to help equip students for future challenges.