With short episodes, nonsensical plots and intrigue, AI-created miniseries attract millions in China

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With more than 50 million views online, the success of this miniseries reflects the great enthusiasm in China for AI-generated miniseries. However, this phenomenon raises concerns about its potential negative impact on employment and copyright.

Series creator Chen Kun told AFP that the series’ short episodes (sometimes less than 30 seconds), which have been adapted for smartphones, lend themselves well to artificial intelligence because viewers are less likely to notice visual flaws on the small screen.

He pointed out that although artificial intelligence has not yet reached the quality of traditional cinema production, it can meet the needs of short series at first.

Chinese audiences, who are increasingly demanding more productions of this kind, recently enjoyed the huge success of the miniseries “The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Falls in Love with Me”, thanks to its surreal visuals and illogical plot.

– If you watch it without thinking too much, you might ignore some visual inconsistencies – admits a fan under the pseudonym “Mama Tiger”.

In his series, Chen used several AI programs: ChatGPT (inaccessible in China without a VPN) for text, Midjourney for still images, KlingAI to turn them into video, and Suno for the soundtrack. Editing and dubbing was done solely by humans.

– (AI) significantly reduces production costs and speeds up the whole process – Udit Abadia, a professor at the Shanghai Vancouver Film School in Shanghai, explained to AFP.

During a class attended by AFP, the teacher taught her students how to use artificial intelligence tools in almost all stages of film production.

Students input their instructions into Dzine, an AI-powered photo-editing platform, which creates images of polar bears and explorers to create a documentary wildlife story in just seconds.

Some of the results were more fantastic than realistic.

– Artificial intelligence is another way of telling stories – said the teacher. – It is possible to achieve a “dazzling” effect and extravagant objects.

The teacher demonstrated a virtual production assistant she designed using Qwen, a program affiliated with the technology giant Alibaba.

In a few seconds, the software generated a summary that told the story of a wedding photographer who was unwittingly involved in a crime.

Odette Abadia believes her students should prepare for a future in which all film and television careers require the use of artificial intelligence.

The school continues to encourage aspiring filmmakers to “shoot with people, actors and equipment, because we want to support the industry,” she says.

Studios’ use of artificial intelligence was a point of contention during the 2023 Hollywood screenwriters’ and actors’ strikes.

The launch this year of AI-created virtual actress Tilly Norwood also sparked intense debate.

– When artificial intelligence appeared, film professionals said it was the end of us… The productions were very realistic and very cheap – admits Louis Liu, a member of the filming team of a miniseries featuring real actors.

The 27-year-old professional highlights that AI is already widely used by students to create the first images for their projects.

Chen Kun, in turn, is optimistic about the emergence of new jobs, especially vacancies dedicated to writing instructions (commands, prompts) for artificial intelligence programs.

However, copyright concerns remain as AI models rely heavily on existing works without a proper compensation system.

AI-generated content can be plagiarized, and Chen is currently involved in a lawsuit against someone who used elements of his series on social media without permission.

Although assisted by artificial intelligence, this content comes “from our imagination, whether it is the form of a person or a monster,” he says.

-They are completely original creations.