'Better Than Top Gun': China's Alibaba Pushes for Fully AI-Produced Movies

MACAO—With everyone enamored with the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI), we are yet to figure out just how far it will take us. From investment analysis to reporting and more, several industries are on the cusp of some big changes in the very near future. That includes the world of digital entertainment. If you ask Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai, AI can soon manage, act, produce, and distribute films all by itself.

"Everybody has been completely entranced by the whole idea of generative AI," Tsaihe said at the Beyond Expo 2023 here. "AI used to be able to tell you the difference between dogs and cats, whether it’s black or white. But now AI can generate content just like a human brain, very actively generating new information, new content."

Just a month ago, Alibaba announced that it was also joining the AI race, with the rollout of its ChatGPT-style product called Tongyi Qianwen. The co-founder spoke of the confluence of three main factors: where Macao is headed, where AI is going, and how consumption is going to change in a few years. Chances are, AI is here to redefine our ideas of entertainment.

"When we create, we create a 3D model and it took us about a month to create. But today, if you use generative AI, it’ll take about a week to create this model."

Tsai sees an AI revolution coming up in the industry. From replacing actors and actresses to creating ideal scenery and branding and promotion, Alibaba Pictures offered attendees a glimpse of what a fully AI-equipped film and television production will look like at the Expo. For the group, it might just start with Leah, the hyperrealistic AI-produced influencer who has 820,000 followers on Weibo.

"Leah is a digital actress. She is a digital personality that we’ve created. She’s not a real person, and here’s the beauty of this: with digitization, we can bring together what is a very American sport, like baseball, with something from China, that’s made in the image of a Chinese actress," he said.

The Taiwanese-Canadian businessman added: "That’s a very interesting aspect because now you replace human beings, you don’t have to manage the emotion for the issues with real humans. And the other thing is Leah is now a digital asset of the company—of the movie production company."

Lili is ready for her world debut.

Photo by COURTESY.

ALSO READ:

Are We Ready for AI to Raise the Dead?

Alibaba Investing $3 Billion in Grab-Report

Interestingly, Leah, or Lili as she's called, is even represented by an agent. And the public is going to see more of her soon. Tsai disclosed that their group has a deal with Major League Baseball (MLB) to promote this. 

Tsai, who is currently the owner of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Brooklyn Nets, says he is well aware of how difficult it can be to manage people. "Believe me, I manage a basketball team and the players are very difficult to manage. If you’re in Hollywood, it’s very, very difficult to manage people," he said.

A character like Leah opens up doors to help promote leagues like the MLB or the NBA, he pointed out. "I think that creates longevity for whoever created the character, and you can build on the character."

Meanwhile, logistics won't be any trouble either. Alibaba, for its part, is focused on its 2,000-meter digital studio in Beijing, China, made with just LED panels, capable of displaying hundreds of thousands of scenes in an instant. "The traditional way of creating a studio and making an outdoor scene is you use the green screen, and the actor is standing on an empty stage with a green screen behind it, trying to act out something."

A scene from Alibaba Pictures' Born to Fly.

Photo by COURTESY.

This means that there is no need for anyone to go to a location anymore. "Once you’re in this environment, instead of standing in front of a green screen, you’re basically in the situation."

The tricky part, however, that even Tsai acknowledges, is the post-production. Nevertheless, he says that unlocking the power of generative AI should solve this. "What this does is it actually democratizes production and the whole post-production process because, imagine if you are on TikTok, you can actually change things as you create your content." AI can take care of marketing and promotion now, too.

Tsai says that we should look no further than Alibaba Pictures' latest film, Born to Fly. "It’s a great movie, and we have basically generated these posters and put it all across the country at a very low cost," he explained. "Please go see this movie. It’s much, much better than Tom Cruise’s (Top Gun)."