When a person believes in something, they inevitably also have doubts. I have been researching and creating AI videos for nearly 2,000 hours and have met some friends in the industry. The development of all new things is not achieved overnight – they must go through twists and turns, and face opposition from those who resist them. Of course, there are also believers who push them forward vigorously.
AI video creation is still far from reaching an ideal state. First, to create high-quality work, the production cycle is lengthy. Although it’s shorter than traditional CG, compared to live-action short dramas with real actors, AI video production capacity is still relatively low. Producing 30 seconds to 1 minute per day means it takes two weeks to make a short film.
It’s impossible to achieve both high-quality output and weekly updates. Weekly updates are a cycle recognized by many platforms. Of course, as long as you reduce the length of short films, weekly updates are achievable. You can also create continuous storylines, which depend on individual choices. There are still many parts that require meticulous operation. So AI currently cannot achieve one-click film production while maintaining quality.
The second issue that most creators encounter is that platforms no longer truly welcome AI-generated content, although a small number of creators haven’t faced this problem. I won’t elaborate on this issue, as the differences between last year and this year have become apparent to everyone. So when a creator puts their heart into making work but receives no positive feedback, many creators’ confidence gets damaged.
The third issue is monetization difficulties. Some creators have been successful with monetization, but there are also many who have gained traffic but struggle to monetize it. Monetization primarily occurs through commissioned work, advertising partnerships, training, and other revenue-generating methods. However, for ordinary creators, prices continue to decline.
I know now is not the best time to make feature films because technology is still evolving rapidly. It’s very possible that after spending half a year completing a feature film, the technology would make it look outdated. I’m also waiting for the right time to make feature films. But sometimes I wonder: will the current image-to-video and multi-parameter video generation methods ever be able to reach film industry standards?
In other words, will we never see the day when everyone can become a director? This is possible. Although current AI technology already supports some films, for film industry professionals, it’s still not enough. At least there’s no simple way to meet their standards.
Another point is the homogenization of AI content. Currently, if you use Midjourney’s realistic art style or Flux’s realistic art style, the resulting films are likely to carry the same style. And because AI has cost advantages in fantasy films, a large number of such films are being produced.
For example, in sci-fi, there’s a distinct “AI sci-fi style,” typically characterized by high-concept narratives. Maintaining style consistency is already a challenge for creators, and they also need to avoid widespread homogenization – the requirements are quite high, making production time even longer. Audiences are no longer particularly interested in homogenized AI films now.
The existence of anti-AI people remains an undeniable factor. They say AI has no soul, no emotion, no human touch, etc. The public’s acceptance of AI is actually questionable. They’ve already seen many excellent films, and while AI has some innovations in audiovisual aspects, most of them still imitate existing content.
We don’t know how far AI creation can ultimately go, whether it can truly achieve creative democratization – giving everyone the opportunity to become a director. Due to these flaws, I believe many people will exit, and the industry will gradually mature, transitioning from initial chaos to more orderly development.
Given the numerous awkward aspects of AI, why do I still persist in cultivating myself deeply in this field? On one hand, AI is already sufficient for me to visualize parts of my novel content. On the other hand, continuous investment enables me to stay ahead faster when new technologies emerge. Although the emergence of new technologies will overturn old production methods, much of what was done previously becomes a sunk cost.
I love AI. I see the beauty in it, even though most characters’ faces are absolutely symmetrical, giving a feeling of transcending the human world. My novels extensively explore conflicts between AI and humans – I’m interested in everything related to AI. Now, being able to use AI for art and to visualize literature is already an enormous wonder for me.
Working with AI is not a momentary impulse, but a long-term investment. Despite numerous difficulties, I still believe this is a magical new technology like magic. What it can accomplish has already amazed and fascinated me greatly. It has given me opportunities to explore expressions I never thought possible.
Follow me, and let’s explore AI filmmaking together.
