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Source: Global Times

Editor's note: Recently, the release of the movie "Legend" has attracted widespread attention, not only because it is a work starring film star Jackie Chan, but also because the film makes extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI) digital human technology. But unexpectedly, the film failed in both box office and word of mouth after its release. 2024 is called the "first year of AI application explosion", and the implementation of AI in various industries has become a trend. Why don't audiences accept "AI actors"? Has digital human technology encountered a bottleneck in film and television?

What is more important than technology is touching people's hearts

Li Zhiqi

The audience's cold reaction to "AI Jackie Chan" is not without reason. In the integration of technology and art, the audience often pays more attention to the authenticity and appeal of the art itself. Although AI technology can simulate Jackie Chan's image, and even make it indistinguishable from the real thing in some aspects, it is difficult to completely replicate Jackie Chan's unique charm and performance details as a person. When the audience enters the theater, they expect not only visual shock, but also hope to see the actor's true emotions and delicate performance. Although AI digital people are technologically advanced, it is difficult to touch people's hearts.

In addition, the imperfection of technology is also an important reason why "AI Jackie Chan" is not well received. Although the current AI technology has made significant progress in video generation, image processing, speech recognition and other fields, it still needs to be improved in simulating complex human emotions and subtle movements, and it is difficult to achieve complete "digital reproduction". The "AI Jackie Chan" in the movie may appear stiff and unnatural in certain shots, and this unnatural feeling can easily be captured by the audience on the big screen, thus affecting the viewing experience.

Looking deeper, the cold reception of "AI Jackie Chan" also reflects the audience's concerns about the integration of technology and art. As digitalization becomes increasingly popular, people are beginning to reflect on the impact and influence of technology on the originality and authenticity of art. When technology can easily copy and simulate any image and sound, will the uniqueness and originality of art be threatened? Are real human performances more valuable? The audience's indifference to "AI Jackie Chan" may be a reflection of their concerns about this issue.

Of course, we cannot completely deny the application prospects of AI digital people in the film and television industry just because of a failure. In my opinion, Jackie Chan's bold attempt has provided us with valuable experience and lessons. From a development perspective, the integration of technology and art is a long and complex process, which requires the art and technology communities to continuously strengthen cooperation, exploration and practice. Perhaps in the near future, with the leap of AI technology and the continuous innovation of artistic creation, we are expected to see more natural and realistic AI digital human images appear on the big screen.

When pursuing technological progress, we should not forget the original charm of art and the audience's inherent desire for immersive experience. On this road of exploration, the audience's enthusiastic acceptance and the market's positive response will become an important yardstick for us to measure success or failure. (The author is the deputy director of the Economic Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the chairman of the Zhenxing International Think Tank)

Don’t turn technology tools into commercial gimmicks

Dong Ming

The biggest selling point of the film Legend is to use AI digital technology to create a "young version of Jackie Chan" and let him "rejuvenate" and go back to the battlefield. In fact, this "black technology" has appeared in many Hollywood movies before. For example, the young version of Schwarzenegger in Terminator: Genisys, Brad Pitt at the peak of his appearance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Will Smith and his younger self in Gemini Man directed by Ang Lee. It can be said that the application of this digital special effects technology in the domestic film industry is a trend in technological development and is not surprising.

The author believes that the real reason why "Legend" has received so many negative reviews is that the technology is not applied properly, resulting in "fake at first glance". The AI ​​characters in the film have stiff expressions and unnatural eyes. Even in some scenes that should have been sad, the "AI face" actually caused laughter. Compared with real actors, the AI ​​in the film is difficult to convey the delicate emotions of the characters.

In addition to whether AI actors can achieve "similar appearance and spirit", whether the plot falls into clichés and whether the logic of the script is far-fetched are also important reasons for whether the film itself can attract audiences. As a sister piece of "The Myth" 20 years ago, this new work in 2024 is still repeating the old stalks of "time travel" and "heroes saving beauties". The plot is not handled smoothly and coherently, and the jokes are also "awkward". As a world-renowned Chinese Kung Fu superstar, Jackie Chan, who is over 70 years old, still maintains a strong creative power. In recent years, new works have been released frequently. This professionalism is worthy of praise. However, movie fans also miss Jackie Chan's peak state as a Kung Fu actor when he was young. This has also become a reason for the extensive use of "AI digital people" in "Legend" to "reduce the age" of the protagonist-including Jackie Chan himself, who also hopes to "rejuvenate" and give back to the audience with his most handy physical state and action design.

Unfortunately, this beautiful wish has not been perfectly realized. Such a result will also make the industry more cautious about AI digital technology. After all, human facial expressions are so complex and subtle. As the saying goes, "acting with eyes" is not something that digital technology can perfectly simulate at present. Once the audience carefully examines it, it is easy to be exposed, and even the uncomfortable "uncanny valley effect" will appear (the uncanny valley effect describes the positive and negative reactions that humans show when they see human-like objects, especially robots - Editor's note).

However, judging from the rapid development of AI technology, the use of digital age reduction, face-changing, and even the direct creation of a virtual character may become more and more common in the future. At the same time, the audience's requirements for audio-visual quality are getting higher and higher. Movies are not idol portraits, nor are they dynamic pictures and short videos. They require more plot logic and character creation. AI technology alone cannot replace performances, let alone take over narratives. Regarding the emergence and development of AI, the cultural and creative industry should now consider how to better regard it as a technological tool rather than a commercial gimmick, and use the most realistic performances to tell the most realistic stories. This is a necessary respect for both the film's creators and the general audience. (The author is a film critic and columnist)

What potential can be tapped by “AI+art”

Shenyang Youkeke

In the process of integrating AI technology and art, the biggest challenge is to balance technological innovation with the transmission of audience emotions. Film and television works are not only a visual feast, but also a transmitter of emotions and stories. The audience is not unwilling to accept "AI Jackie Chan", but they are resistant to works that lack emotional resonance and are overly showy.

From the perspective of technical application, current AI technology cannot achieve fully automatic film generation. Therefore, the role of AI in films is not much different from other technologies, and it cannot completely replace manual creation. In addition, technological progress must serve the expression of art, rather than replace art itself. The purpose of using AI technology is to serve the content, rather than becoming the main selling point of the film. In addition to technology, the success of a film also needs to consider the audience's psychology, content quality and emotional resonance.

From the perspective of technological ethics, when using AI technology, film and television creation should also respect the originality of actors, maintain the authenticity of the work, and ensure that technology serves art rather than placing it above art. Although face-changing technology can achieve the "immortality" of actors, its abuse will make the audience lose trust and identity in the work. Over-reliance on technology may lead to the homogenization of creation and lack of innovation. In addition, the abuse of AI technology may also cause copyright and ethical issues.

In the future, how will "AI+art" coexist, and will the film and television landscape be reshaped? The author believes that the potential of AI in the film and television industry cannot be ignored. First of all, AI can significantly improve the efficiency of film and television production. Whether it is script creation or post-production, AI can provide intelligent auxiliary tools to help creators complete their work more efficiently. Secondly, AI technology can inspire more creative expressions. For example, through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology, audiences can enjoy a more immersive viewing experience. Thirdly, through data analysis, AI can deeply understand the audience's preferences and create works that are more in line with market demand. In addition, through innovative emotional interaction technology, multi-dimensional virtual experience and dynamic character generation technology, AI is expected to exert greater potential in the future film and television industry and realize the true integration of technology and art. (The authors are dual-appointed professors of the School of Journalism and the School of Artificial Intelligence of Tsinghua University, and postdoctoral fellows of the School of Journalism of Tsinghua University)