The new voice of digital creativity

It was a moment of quiet symbolism: A young woman from Eastern Switzerland stood on stage at the Smile Swiss Influence Award in Dübendorf and accepted the trophy as the first recipient of the AI Media Award 2025. Her work Ocean Mirror, a fictional promotional film about ocean pollution, combines technical precision with poetic insight—and shows just how closely art, technology, and social commentary can be intertwined.

With her victory, Yanina de Sapio, a 25-year-old student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation at the SAE Institute in Zurich, not only won the Swiss special category Best Swiss Content Creator, but also in the international category AI Advertising convinced. She is thus the first Swiss woman to prevail in a global competition of this kind—a success that extends far beyond the moment itself.

After all, de Sapio represents a generation of young creatives who view artificial intelligence as an artistic tool. A generation that is redefining the relationship between humans and machines—not as competition, but as dialogue. Their success also marks the beginning of a new era of digital creation, in which AI content creation is gaining importance worldwide and is now taking root in Switzerland as well.

More than 3,500 visitors witnessed international creatives, pioneers, and thought leaders pushing the boundaries of digital creation. A 15-member jury of experts from the fields of media, technology, education, and design evaluated the entries anonymized – without any information about the participants’ names, gender, or background, so that the focus was solely on the entry itself. The key criteria were creativity, technical execution, originality, and emotional impact.

A Film as a Mirror of Society

Ocean Mirror is a fictional commercial—a symbolic parable about consumption, responsibility, and the fragile balance between humans and nature. Through images that are both hypnotically beautiful and unsettling, the film shows how the toxic residues of human activity find their way back into the food chain—a powerful metaphor for the circular nature of our actions.

«I didn’t want to preach,» says de Sapio. «I was interested in creating a visual experience that evokes emotion. When viewers feel a mix of unease and fascination, that’s when they start to reflect.»

The film was created using a novel AI technology that allows artificial intelligence to be specifically employed as a creative tool. Apart from the screenplay, the entire project was created through the interaction of various systems—Midjourney, KLING AI, ElevenLabs, and SUNO AI—whose functions work together seamlessly. This project required interdisciplinary expertise and weeks of intensive conceptual refinement. Post-production was carried out in Adobe Premiere.

The fact that de Sapio was able to prevail against more than 300 international entries is a testament to an emerging creative movement: AI content creation.

Interview with Yanina de Sapio

What is your creative background?
I come from a background in traditional design. After completing my training as a 3D Poly Designer I initially worked in the field of visual communication. Even back then, I was fascinated by the interplay of space, color, and materials. During my studies Content Creation & Online Marketing at the SAE Zurich I have consciously intensified this move into the digital world. For me, AI is not a break with the past, but rather an extension of my creative thinking.

What inspired you to choose the theme of your socially critical film Ocean Mirror Inspired?
I grew up in a generation that is constantly confronted with the consequences of environmental crises—yet at the same time lives in a consumer culture that exacerbates these problems. Ocean Mirror was my attempt to bring this paradox to light. The idea of portraying the sea as a mirror of our own actions arose from the thought that, while we humans are technologically advanced, we are still treading water morally.

How do you view the new movement among AI filmmakers, and how do you see the future of this development?
We are only at the beginning of a new creative era. This movement is characterized by remarkable momentum—entirely new forms of visual storytelling are currently emerging around the world. I am convinced that artificial intelligence will permanently transform the role of humans in the creative process: a democratization of production is taking place. Creative professionals are gaining access to new technologies and methods that enable a level of artistic freedom that was previously almost unimaginable—independent of traditional production structures.

What is an AI film production like?
At its core, the process is similar to traditional film production—but the tools are different. It always starts with a storyboard and a screenplay, which I write myself. Then I design the visual world using Midjourney, animate the scenes with Kling AI, and add voices and sound effects via ElevenLabs. I compose the soundtrack with Suno AI before merging all the elements into a cohesive whole in Adobe Premiere.

How do you view this trend in relation to the voice-over profession?
This is a sensitive issue. It requires legal clarity and fair compensation models. Platforms like ElevenLabs allow voice actors to license their voices—much like photographers license their images. This can create new sources of income if handled transparently and respectfully.

Do you already have plans for your next movie?
Right now, I'm focusing on, Ocean Mirror to submit it to other international festivals and AI awards. In the long term, however, I would like to focus more on developing narrative formats—perhaps a series of short films that explore various aspects of environmental issues.

Is artificial intelligence a substitute for human creativity?
No, it’s an amplifier. AI can generate ideas, but it can’t feel. It responds to patterns—not to intuition. Humans remain the emotional core, the source of meaning. I see AI as a partner, not a competitor.

How is AI changing your perspective on aesthetics and design?
It has taught me to think more precisely. A prompt is like a film score—every word, every nuance shapes the visual result. AI forces us to phrase things more deliberately and to think more clearly in conceptual terms. This is not a technical discipline, but a linguistic one.

What is your take on the ethical debate surrounding AI art?
I believe transparency is key. We must clearly communicate which parts of a work were generated by AI. This does not diminish the value of the work; on the contrary, it makes it transparent. This is the only way to build trust.

What does the Best Swiss Content Creator Award mean to you personally?
It sends a strong message—especially to young creatives. It shows that Switzerland is part of this global movement and that quality remains more important than origin or reach. For me, it confirms that art and technology are not opposites, but rather enrich each other.