Ballsy and Vision Machina launch human-powered AI band Project Zilal

In an era dominated by algorithm-driven pop acts and “AI slop,” creative agency Ballsy and generative AI technology studio Vision Machina, are hoping to chart a different course with the launch of Project Zilal, an AI-powered music band that prioritises human creativity over automation.

The project, unveiled on LinkedIn, is a fusion of technology, representation, and storytelling, exploring what it means to create in the age of AI. Its name, Zilal, means "shadow" in Arabic.

VJ Anand, co-founder and CCO of Ballsy, described the IP as a response to the lack of diversity in AI-generated entertainment. “I’m personally so bored and dissatisfied with diversity when it comes to representation in this category," he told A+M. "If I feel that way, imagine how the ladies and young girls who are looking for a hero would feel. So we thought since we have the power to create and think and make, why don’t we create something different?”

Project Zilal features two Hijabi women named Zayna and Ella alongside a robot named Mecka, blending the human and the digital in a way that emphasises collaboration rather than replacement, the two agencies said. The initiative will kick off with a reality show designed to feature real Hijabi Muslim talent becoming the driving force behind the band's voice and personality, before expanding into music, music videos, and potentially branded content and merchandise.

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The reality show centered around the AI band, could look like a cross between KPop Demon Hunters and Popstar Academy: Katseye. The agency duo are now actively seeking brand partners to collaborate on Project Zilal. Those who come on board can expect flexible involvement, from episodic content integration to music videos and other immersive formats.

“Since we are building the plane while flying it, partners can request almost anything, from branded content, storytelling that embeds messages naturally, music videos. Basically, ads that don’t feel like ads,” Anand explained, highlighting the unique opportunities for brands to shape the narrative alongside the AI-human hybrid band.

The days of sitting and waiting for briefs are over. We have a million ideas that we want to bring to life.

The band’s defining feature, Anand added, is the human connection. “We wanted to focus not just on the group, but the connection between the AI band and the potential artists and talents we discover on the reality show, and dive into how that human and AI connection works. We want to put soul into the AI band.”

Donovan Ratnasingam, founder and chief storyteller at Vision Machina, framed Project Zilal as a “generative-AI social experiment.” He explained: “Most of what we see today is just AI for the sake of AI, flashy visuals, zero soul. Project Zilal is different. It’s a hybrid creation where the faces may be AI, but the voices, personalities, and emotions come from real people." For him, the project isn't about replacing artists, but about creating a stage "for the ones who never got the chance to be heard".

Ratnasingam added that the creative process is less about the speed of AI generation and more about meaningful direction. “Anyone can generate, but creation with meaning is something entirely different. Too many people let the model decide what looks good instead of trusting their own vision.

The narrative, strategy, and cultural resonance still matter. It’s just expressed on a generative canvas now.

The project also aims to challenge negative perceptions around AI content. “Most of the backlash toward AI comes from content that feels mass-produced, detached, and emotionless,” Ratnasingam said. “But when the voice, tone, and personality come from real people, the work stops being artificial and starts feeling human again, just expressed through a new medium.”

Project Zilal exemplifies a new wave of creative IP where humans and machines co-create rather than compete. By blending representation, music, and AI-driven visuals, Ballsy and Vision Machina hope to prove that technology can amplify, not replace, human imagination—while also inviting brands and platforms to join the journey as collaborators in a project that is as much cultural experiment as entertainment venture.

For Merdeka this year, Ballsy and Vision Machina had teamed up to produce an AI short film, "MerdekAI" for Malaysia's newly-launched AI-powered bank, Ryt Bank. The film reimagined the nation’s journey from the Straits of Melaka to the digital frontier. In under two minutes, it moves from spice for silk, to coins for paper, to the courage of independence, before leaping into today, where Malaysia is once again rewriting the rules.

Project Zilal's release also comes after the launch of REV Media's own AI boy band, THRIC3, which has already tested the waters of commercial partnerships. Their collaboration with KFC and Universal McCann Malaysia (UM) earlier this year paired music with food culture, signalling the potential for brands to connect with audiences in new ways. According to REV Media, more collaborations are already lined up, including with real artists and creators from outside the music industry.

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