For Lu, who asked to be identified only by his surname, crying on demand is already a challenge — but doing it in front of a camera while trying to match an “optimal emotional curve” set by AI? That feels almost impossible.
For a start, the data makes no sense to him. After analyzing hundreds of clips of dramatic scenes, the AI system has plotted a curve along an XY axis, with time on the horizontal and expressions on the vertical. At peaks and troughs are instructions such as “show restraint,” “erupt,” and “furrow your brows.”
The actor rechecks the AI-generated script he was sent: “Minute 3 to 4: emotional breakdown.” His knuckles whiten as he grips his phone, forcing down whatever is rising in his throat. Now, even his expressions of pain are expected to conform to machine-calibrated measurements.
For a scene at a screen test, Lu was instructed to slap the face of another male actor, who was suspended on wires at a height specified in an AI-generated visual design. Even on tiptoe, Lu couldn’t reach him — he had to jump just to brush the man’s face with his fingertip
For the next scene, they moved to an outdoor location for an AI-devised stunt in which Lu had to look like he was leaping onto the back of a horse. The storyboard, which also had been drawn using AI, showed that the actor had to lift his left leg, with the director adding that it should be “at a 45-degree angle,” as this would look better on camera.
In another script, Lu was cast as a takeout delivery driver. The AI had written in two key actions: “throw helmet” and “curse loudly.” Before the first take, Lu was nervous. He had secretly asked AI about the role himself and was told that an “80% anger level” was required and that “object-throwing scenes go viral.”
However, he hadn’t considered how bouncy the plastic helmet might be. When he threw it, it ricocheted like a rubber ball, and Lu couldn’t suppress his amusement. The AI system gave him an “emotional alignment” score of 45%, and the director accused him of deliberately goofing around. “Maybe we shouldn’t rely exclusively on AI feedback. Shouldn’t we consider your instincts, too?” Lu had said, attempting to smooth things over. The director just smirked and replied, “My instincts are about the same as the AI’s.”
China’s over adoption of AI into every facets of life is so dire bro 
.
This article is mostly about the experience in the ultrashort drama scene which is already algorithm optimized bullshit, hopefully they don’t actually use this for real movies.
“you need to be about 20% cooler”
story of my life
Somebody start secretly feeding episodes of Jackass and Americas Funniest Home Movies into the Chineese AI slop machines, ASAP.
Its our only hope of shutting that shit down now.
“You need to consume 420% more whippets
”
Thus “Ow! My Balls!” Was born into conception,
this is something some grad students at uni should be doing just to see, it should be fucking illegal for actual actors to be doing this for their work
“Maybe we shouldn’t rely exclusively on AI feedback. Shouldn’t we consider your instincts, too?” Lu had said, attempting to smooth things over. The director just smirked and replied, “My instincts are about the same as the AI’s.”
The actor’s point is totally valid that it’s good to apply instinct to art, but it looks to me like simple human reasoning would fix a lot of these issues, except that the other people won’t allow such things.
he hadn’t considered how bouncy the plastic helmet might be. When he threw it, it ricocheted like a rubber ball, and Lu couldn’t suppress his amusement. The AI system gave him an “emotional alignment” score of 45%, and the director accused him of deliberately goofing around
After several attempts, the other actor began to giggle, causing the director to angrily shout: “Laugh one more time and it’s a 100-yuan fine.”
Laughing in response to a bad take is like a basic part of film making, isn’t it?
“Be human, will you?” has become something of a catchphrase for Lu. One day, the woman who runs the pancake stall he frequents overheard his complaints and looked at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about, kid?” she asked. “AI is just a computer. How can a computer bully a person?”
The director is such an ignorant, philistine asshole. It makes perfect sense that he’d just rely on AI to try to generate an SEO drama. I’m sure there are many directors like him in China (and elsewhere), but I feel like more emphasis should be given to how awful the culture among directors (and I assume producers) is since the AI’s nonsense output wouldn’t matter if the director wasn’t a thoughtless piece of shit. I read through the article and it talks about humans being jerks, but it seems to only focus on symptoms and not the disease, not the rot in financial incentives and dehumanized culture that the executives are operating from. It’s such a pure example of capitalists destroying civilization to create an engine to generate profit.
“One more take,” shouts the director, before turning to his male actor, Lu. “You need to stick with the rhythm given to you by artificial intelligence … your crying isn’t up to standard. The tears came out too slow.”
Does this guy not know what editing is? Jesus Christ
I think such directors like him have fallen to virtual insanity
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
for an AI-devised stunt
Ok, in this one you’re going to suddenly become a pile of 36 hamburger-like entities
the computer says you need to do it 80% happier and with your mouth about 65% more open
everyone should jump onto rakes by themselves, despite rake signs
“AI” is just another talisman that capitalists use to excuse anti-social behavior and ludicrous efficiency schemes designed to strip workers of autonomy and leverage
Just AI fix it in post if you’re going to make a slop film. Black Mirror reality
Mega Man Star Force 3 has a film studio where humans and the sentient AI partners/assistants many people in-universe possess (called “Wizards” as in “installation wizard”) work alongside eachother as equals. It also has a “Director Wizard”, which I already thought while playing was a bad idea. Now I’m reading this and going
Me when the Grand Wizard tells me to insert 400% more racism for better market appeal
