After an artificial intelligence-generated anti-drug music video was removed following an online backlash over how it appeared to promote illegal drugs, the Department of Corrections acknowledged the shortcomings and pledged to apply stricter standards to future video productions.
Senior Superintendent (Rehabilitation) Ng Kee-hang said on Sunday that the video was produced internally by the department’s multimedia production team. He emphasized that the original creative intent was to leverage pop culture formats popular among young people to convey a positive anti-drug message.
He said no additional public funds were involved as the project was handled entirely by in-house staff.
The agency said it is committed to carrying out a comprehensive review of its media production processes to ensure that future campaigns can be executed more effectively.
The video, titled “Obsession: The Sugar-coated Trap,” was published on the department’s social media platforms on Friday.
The film personifies four common drugs as members of a singing, dancing female pop group, before the characters transform into ugly, emaciated men who warn viewers about the harms of drugs and resist “sugar-coated” packaging.
The campaign sparked public criticism for potentially glorifying drug use rather than discouraging it. The department later uploaded a revised version that accelerated the transition to an anti-drug message, but ultimately removed the revised video entirely on Saturday evening.
