Can AI Have Siri'? Cultural Honor, Generative AI, and Marketing Authenticity among Bugis-Makassar MSMEs: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This study examines how owners of micro and small enterprises (UMKM) in South Sulawesi reconcile the Bugis-Makassar cultural values of siri' na pacce, the intertwined ethic of honor, shame, and communal solidarity, with the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their marketing management practices. While a substantial literature documents siri' na pacce as a moral framework governing everyday economic conduct in South Sulawesi, and a separate, largely quantitative literature documents AI adoption among Indonesian MSMEs, no published study has examined how these two forces intersect at the point where an entrepreneur decides what an AI system may say, show, or claim on behalf of a culturally embedded business. Using an interpretive phenomenological design, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten UMKM owners across Makassar, Gowa, and Bone, spanning culinary, textile, and craft sectors. Data were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña interactive model of qualitative analysis. Five themes emerged: (1) siri' as an internalized moral filter that entrepreneurs apply to AI-generated content before publication; (2) pacce-driven communal learning, in which knowledge of AI tools circulates through kinship and trade networks rather than formal training; (3) reso' (diligent perseverance) as the interpretive frame through which AI is understood as an extension of, rather than a substitute for, hard work; (4) a persistent tension between the scale and genericness of AI-generated output and the specificity required to carry authentic local cultural narrative; and (5) selective, largely undisclosed hybrid authorship practices through which entrepreneurs protect perceived brand authenticity. The findings extend cultural embeddedness and dynamic capabilities perspectives by showing that indigenous ethical frameworks, rather than external governance structures, function as the primary regulatory mechanism shaping responsible AI use among culturally rooted micro-enterprises. Implications for digital literacy policy, cultural heritage branding, and future research are discussed