Recently, many viewers were surprised when a short film titled "Postpartum Birth, I Become Mother's Guardian" produced by AI on an online platform used the face of actress Yang Zi, making the hashtag #AIShortDramaUsesYangZiFace# quickly become a hot topic.
In response, Yang Zi's representative company - YangZiStudio affirmed: The illegal use of Yang Zi's images to create and disseminate video content through AI face swap technology and deepfake is an act of serious infringement of her legitimate rights.
The company has authorized lawyers to collect evidence of these violations and is committed to pursuing legal action to the end in accordance with the law.
Currently, related videos have been removed. The company emphasizes that technology can bring a brighter future, but it is not allowed to become a tool to infringe copyright or privacy.
The Internet is not an illegal land and the film studio is determined to protect the rights of artists, and will not compromise with any violations.
Short films (duanju) are becoming a new entertainment trend in China, with the market estimated to reach 67 billion CNY in 2025.
These films stand out with super short duration (1-2 minutes/episode), fast rhythm, drama, suitable for immediate entertainment needs, low production costs and are often created using AI technology.
According to statistics from DataEye data platform, during Tet (from the 1st to the 7th day of the Lunar New Year), the total number of short film screenings in China reached 8.7 billion views, of which 30% were products made by AI. In particular, in January, AI films simulating real people had the fastest growth compared to other short video genres.
According to The Paper, the performance of AI films far exceeded previous predictions of experts. It is predicted that 2026 will be the boom time for AI short films, causing many traditional actors to face the risk of unemployment.
Some short film distribution platforms have temporarily suspended many human-starred projects due to concerns of losses, because the production cost of AI films can be tens to hundreds of times lower than human-starred films while still ensuring a high profit rate.
