Outrage in China after streaming site iQIYI debuts AI actor ‘database’

Users can input prompts into Nadou Pro to generate short films and use it for editing, according to a live demonstration on Monday. 

“There’s a misunderstanding here,” Liu said. “What kind of drama, which shot – everything needs to be confirmed by the actor.”

Fans were also angered by comments made by iQIYI chief executive Gong Yu suggesting fully human-made work could become “intangible cultural heritage” – a phrase used in Chinese to describe a relic of the past worth preserving.

The phrase “iQIYI went nuts” was the most-discussed topic on social media platform Weibo by mid-day.

“If actors all turn into AI, what warmth will these works of literature and art have?” read one post.

Experts warn there are risks involved in allowing AI to use a person’s image. 

“Once an artist’s image data is used for training platform models, there are technical risks such as model fine-tuning, data leakage and unauthorised secondary training, which are difficult to eliminate,” Li Zhenwu, a lawyer from Shanghai Star Law Firm, told AFP. 

“This means that an artist’s digital assets may be reused … completely outside of their control,” Li added.