AI-created miniseries with short episodes, illogical plots and conspiracies are captivating millions in China

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With over 50 million views online, the miniseries’ success reflects China’s huge enthusiasm for AI-generated short-form series. However, this phenomenon has raised concerns that it could have a negative impact on employment and copyright.

Short episodes of miniseries adapted for smartphones (sometimes less than 30 seconds) are well-suited for AI because viewers are less likely to notice visual imperfections on a small screen, series creator Chen Kun explained to AFP.

— AI has not yet reached the production quality of traditional movies, but it can initially meet the needs of miniseries — he noted.

The Chinese public is increasingly demanding this kind of work, and recently the miniseries “The Nine-Tailed Fox Loves Me” became a huge success thanks to its surreal visuals and illogical plot.

— If you watch without thinking too much, you might miss some of the visual inconsistencies — one fan confesses under the pseudonym “Mama Tiger.”

In this series, Mr. Chen used several artificial intelligence programs. We used ChatGPT (unaccessible in China without a VPN) for the script, Midjourney for still images, KlingAI for video conversion, and Suno for the soundtrack. Only editing and dubbing were done by humans.

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

In the class AFP attended, teachers taught students how to use AI tools in almost every step of film production.

Students input instructions into Dzine, an AI-powered image editing platform, and it generated images of polar bears and explorers, creating storyboards for wildlife documentaries in just seconds.

Some of the results were more fantastical than realistic.

— AI is another way to tell stories — the teacher said. — It is possible to achieve a “wow” effect, something luxurious.

The teacher demonstrated a virtual production assistant designed using technology giant Alibaba’s Qwen software.

Within seconds, the software generated a synopsis that told the story of a wedding photographer who was unwittingly involved in a crime.

Odette Abadia believes students must be prepared for a future where every profession in film and television will require the use of AI.

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

The 2023 Hollywood Writers and Actors Strike focused on studios’ use of AI.

This year, the introduction of AI-created virtual actress Tilly Norwood also sparked intense controversy.

— When AI came out, film experts said it was the end of us… The product was very realistic and very cheap — confesses Louis Liu, a member of the filming team of the miniseries starring real actors.

The 27-year-old expert emphasizes that AI is already widely used by students to create the first images of their projects.

Meanwhile, Chen Kun is optimistic about the emergence of new jobs, especially those specialized in creating instructions (commands, prompts) for AI programs.

However, copyright concerns remain as AI models rely heavily on existing copyrighted works without adequate compensation mechanisms.

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

Despite the help of AI, he argues that this content “comes from our own imaginations, whether they look like humans or monsters.”

–This is a completely original work.