Foreign Ministry AI film features veteran witnessing four decades of democratic transformation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a special Double Ten National Day video titled "The Nation's Album" on its official platforms today (October 2). The video breaks new ground in its production methods, combining artificial intelligence (AI) technology with historical imagery and live-action interviews for the first time to digitize and visualize Taiwan's political evolution over the past four decades or more. The narrative centers on the perspective of veterans. Through their oral accounts, the video reviews the journey from the martial law era to democratization, while incorporating Taiwan's recent trajectory of steadily gaining a foothold on the international stage into the narrative framework. This move is not only an innovative interpretation of National Day imagery, but also reflects the government's policy orientation to enhance the communication efficiency of public memory through technological means.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's direct presidential election. In 1996, Taiwan held its first nationwide direct presidential election, marking a fundamental transition from an authoritarian system to a mature democracy. Over the past three decades, Taiwan's electoral system, party rotations, and civil society activity have all improved significantly, making it one of the few countries in East Asia with a complete democratic mechanism. In the video, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopts the concept of "Team Taiwan" as its theme, emphasizing that this journey is not only a reform at the institutional level, but also a memory woven from the hardships and glories shared by all citizens—especially veterans who once served in the military and witnessed the nation's transformation, whose stories are seen as a bridge connecting the past and the future.

The AI technology used in the video is primarily applied to image synthesis and audio processing, allowing historical footage and the interviewees' oral accounts to merge naturally within the same frame. Such technology is being applied in the domestic public sector for the first time, demonstrating that government agencies are actively exploring new media and digital tools to enhance the appeal and efficiency of information delivery. From a technical perspective, the inclusion of AI not only enhances the video's visual impact, but also revitalizes historical materials that previously existed only in text or old videotapes, enabling the younger generation to experience a more immersive historical narrative when viewing it.

At the international level, Taiwan's visibility in areas such as participation in international organizations, medical assistance, and pandemic prevention cooperation has continued to rise in recent years. The video features appearances by Taiwanese medical personnel, tech industry professionals, and cultural and creative talent on the international stage, aiming to highlight the multifaceted nature of "Team Taiwan" and illustrate that Taiwan is not only a focus of geopolitics, but also an example of winning international recognition through strength and values. This narrative strategy echoes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' recent policies of strengthening the New Southbound Policy and participating in global governance, with the expectation of conveying Taiwan's soft power and democratic image to the international community through the combination of culture and technology.

As the narrative vehicle of the video, veterans also reflect the changes in civil-military relations during Taiwan's democratization process. From strict control in the past to today's volunteer military and reserve systems, the role of the military has transformed from a political tool into a professional institution for national defense and social service. Reviewing their own experiences—from military training during the martial law era and participation in social turmoil to witnessing the political lifting of martial law and multi-party competition in the 1990s—veterans provide a unique historical perspective, allowing viewers to feel that democratization is not an abstract institutional change, but a true rewriting of everyone's life and memory.

Overall, "The Nation's Album" is not only a visual celebration of the Double Ten National Day, but also a multi-layered work combining technology, history, and civic narrative. Through AI technology and veterans' oral accounts, it materializes Taiwan's journey from martial law to democracy, and from isolation to international participation, while calling on all citizens to jointly safeguard and promote this precious democratic memory under the spirit of "Team Taiwan." This initiative not only helps raise domestic and international awareness of Taiwan's democratic achievements, but also provides a reference model for the innovative dissemination of public information in the future. (Source: Central News Agency)