"From Digital Avatars to AI Actors"... China's Content Industry in Turmoil

Turning the Appearance and Voice of Popular Actors into Digital Assets

Concerns Rise That AI Actors Are Crowding Actors Out

In China's entertainment industry, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is accelerating the trend of turning actors' appearances and voices into "digital assets." As the market rapidly changes with the opening of portrait rights of famous actors and the emergence of AI actors, concerns are growing over job losses for actors and staff, as well as unauthorized misuse of portrait rights.

On September 1, Chinese current affairs weekly Nanfengchuang reported, "With advancements in AI technology, faces are being transformed into a form of digital asset, ushering in an era where even ordinary people can monetize their portrait rights." Recently, a story about a bank employee who sold the use of their face for three days and earned 2,500 yuan (about 510,000 won) in seven transactions was shared via social networking services (SNS) and attracted widespread attention.

AI Actor 'Pang Taoz'. Baidu China.

Popular actors authorize AI use of their appearance... Launching digital avatars

Wang Joohyun created by AI. Screenshot from the game "Cheonha" advertisement video "Cheonyeong".

Chinese popular actor Qi Wei. Baidu China.

Such examples of "face monetization" first emerged in the entertainment sector. Last month, popular Chinese actor Qi Wei introduced her digital replica, Han Qingxia, via SNS and announced that she would grant AI usage rights to her own image. In addition to Qi Wei, actors such as Wang Joohyun and Wu Guihua also unveiled their so-called "digital avatars" generated by AI, signaling a major shift in China's entertainment industry. Wang Joohyun appeared as her prime-year self in the advertisement video "Cheonyeong" for the game "Cheonha," earning enthusiastic applause from fans. Wu Guihua also permitted the use of her portrait rights for AI film production. The production company plans to use AI to restore Wu Guihua's appearance in her twenties for the film.

Regarding the trend of popular actors opening up their portrait (appearance) rights, media outlets have analyzed it as "a preemptive response strategy amid the tide of AI engulfing the video content industry."

Problems intensify: illegal black market and portrait rights infringement

However, as the volume of AI-generated content explodes, dark sides are emerging as well. Viewers have reported fatigue due to similar facial expressions, awkward movements, and clichéd plotlines in works featuring such content. An illegal black market has even formed that exploits the faces and voices of popular actors, leading to more severe violations of portrait rights and related problems.

Some production companies are recruiting "AI live-action actors" via SNS. They pay for the faces of ordinary people or aspiring actors and use them in their works. This practice is seen as an attempt to diversify the appearance of characters in their productions. Steow, an AI director who was formerly a short-form actor, noted, "Even without referencing specific individuals, AI-generated images often end up resembling popular actors, so we constantly have to change the prompts." As the volume of AI-generated content increases, concerns are mounting not only for actors but also for production companies, filming staff, and extras regarding the future of their jobs.

Controversy escalates over the rise of AI actors

AI actor 'Pang Taoz'. Baidu, China.

Furthermore, controversy is growing as virtual actors created by AI begin to encroach on the space traditionally held by celebrities. The AI actor "Pang Taozi," the protagonist of the AI short drama "Fired Girl," gained 400,000 followers within just 30 days of debut. According to data released by ByteDance, Pang Taozi's appearance fees are 168,000 yuan (about 34,186,000 won) for 1–20 seconds, 208,000 yuan (about 42,330,000 won) for 21–60 seconds, and 258,000 yuan (about 52,410,000 won) for over 60 seconds.

Jang Tingyuan, a copyright specialist, stated, "It is only humans who can truly move others with performances rooted in genuine emotion," emphasizing, "In the era of AI, whether humans can remain as the main agents and maintain their place will become the critical issue for the future of the content industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.