Maya: Pewaris Suara Masa Depan

Agency

NAGA DDB SDN BHD

Client

CelcomDigi

Product/Service

Telecommunications

Brief

Across Borneo, native languages like Iban and Dusun are slowly fading, due to urbanisation and globalisation. But language isn’t just communication; it’s identity, memory, and culture.

As a telco and tech brand, CelcomDigi wanted to use technology to do more than connect people. We wanted to help preserve what connects them to their roots. In conjunction with the Gawai and Kaamatan festive season, the brand set out to celebrate and safeguard East Malaysia’s native tongues in a meaningful, modern way.

Solution

Our idea came to life through Maya, an AI chatbot with the personality of a curious, talkative 12-year-old East Malaysian girl. Speaking in Iban and Dusun, she chats with local speakers, learning more with every conversation and sharing that knowledge back with the community by asking about their rituals, customs, and stories.

To bring Maya’s mission to life, we gave her a film of her own. In it, Maya journeys across Sabah and Sarawak, collecting and preserving the region’s languages - mirroring the very purpose of the AI chatbot herself.