This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself Hee Young.
I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yu Shun in the studio.
Coming up, what if Bruce Lee faced off against the Rock Dwayne Johnson in a fistfight?
Or Seung -kong, the Monkey King battling Darth Vader in an interstellar showdown?
AI -generated videos are creating hilarious and surreal mash -ups that challenge our perception of history and storytelling.
Are AI videos dismantling our classics?
Or is it even a problem?
And do you need that boost to crush the weak?
Our special segment Motivational Monday is your ultimate adrenaline shot to kick things off strong.
Our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple Podcast.
Got a question that's keeping you curious, from social issues to tech and everything in between?
Let us take a stab at it, email us at roundtablepodcast .qq .com.
Emails are fine, but voice memos are always better.
And we are collecting voices from our listeners this week and next week.
And then I guess it's going to be the new year.
We want to know and we want to air your thoughts about what happened to you this year in 2024, and what are your thoughts and best wishes for 2025.
And you know, for the New Year's Day show, we'll make it a party, carnival, a fantastic time for everyone where we want to air your voices.
And make it a responsive show, more than usual, that kind of thing.
So you can send us your voice memos to roundtablepodcast .qq .com.
Now let's switch gears.
Picture this one moment, an elegant Chinese imperial consort from the popular TV series The Legend of Zhen Han moves gracefully through the imperial palace.
The next, she's revving up a Harley Davidson and roaring into the sunset.
Or perhaps our man and Spock, two fictional characters from entirely separate universes of Marvel and Star Trek, embrace for a tender kiss.
In the world of AI generated videos, yeah, really.
Anything is possible, right?
Literally anything is possible.
Oh yes indeed. And in the world of AI generated videos, one thing is certain, seeing is no longer believing.
When their ability to turn historic or dramatic moments into surreal spectacles, AI modified videos have become a social media sensation.
When these clips often leave audiences in stitches, they also raise important questions about artistic integrity and the respect owed to original works.
So how popular are these AI modified videos these days?
Yeah, they're very popular on social media platforms.
These AI modified videos have garnered massive attention with some videos racking up over a million likes and even more shares.
For example, a single self -media account reportedly gained 180 ,000 followers after produced 42 AI modified episodes of what you said, Junhuan Zhuang or The Empresses in the Palace or The Legend of Junhuan.
So would that be a very well known kind of historical...
Not historical though.
No. No, it's not historical, it's fictional.
But it's so popular.
It even got English versions that had been aired abroad.
Also on Douying, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, one such kind of videos of this show, as we mentioned, amassed around 1 .7 million likes, 3 .8 million shares and 124 ,000 comments.
So people are liking it, discussing it and also making it, of course.
This wave of AI modified videos has taken these kind of short video platforms by storm.
Yeah. They're becoming really, really popular.
And if you're asking, you know, why?
Well, I think the answer is because they can.
That's maybe the only answer necessary because the barrier is very low now and the accessibility is so high.
These AI powered video generating tools, they're pretty easy to use.
And that means that people like me, you know, that aren't so tech savvy can play with those tools and then reimagine video content through them.
You don't have to really know a lot about the tech behind it.
And then the rest is up to your creativity, I suppose.
And you can make these effects really vivid and the process is pretty simple and you get these really high quality videos.
And I think people are just having fun with their ideas and having fun with the tools too.
Speaking of ideas, you know, when we're speaking of so many different franchises that they were having, they're appearing in one video, I think that's also because, you know, nowadays young people, especially these kind of people who were like to make these kind of videos, they are trying to mostly
they're just fans or they are in favor of making two characters into one video that we call that kind of crossover.
Just like you are a Star Wars fan and you also like watching Game of Thrones.
And then you can just give them a video of John Snow and give them a prompt that John Snow is fighting with a lightsaber.
That's all. Then that is how satisfied these kind of audience that OK, I want something that you never crossed over and I can create it one myself.
Yeah, so they're right there.
You can see this kind of speaks to a younger audience.
I think it doesn't have to, of course, but I think it does.
Maybe because of the it's a bit rebellious.
Yeah, I know. I mean, not overly seriously rebellious in many in many cases, but still a little rebellious when you're taking characters from different worlds, for example, and combining them into one.
Then there's that, yeah, there's that sense of like naughtiness, I suppose, that people have fun have fun with, too.
Yeah, I absolutely agree with that.
And ever since Asura first came out earlier this year.
And I remember we immediately did a show right after it's the only the release of what it can do, but it wasn't fully open to available for the public to enjoy until most recently.
But yes, absolutely.
With these A .I. video tools in our hands, creativity is no longer confined to elite professional creators.
And these technologies make it possible for anyone and everyone with an Internet connection to create and share, quote unquote, original content.
And regardless of their technical or artistic background.
And you can create these things in your bedroom.
And it's a one person movie studio when you think about it.
What's the kind of public response been because the the example that you gave was a very well known internationally, but especially here in China, a piece of art and purists, I would think, would not like people messing around with characters joining from different worlds.
So what's the response been?
Yes, I would say the responses are mixed.
You know, of course, in one way, as you said, some of these, especially series and dramas, they are kind of classic to Chinese culture and also distort this kind of way.
People are saying that they're distorting classics and misrepresenting intentions.
What do you think about that?
In a way, these A .I.
modified videos often prioritize humor and how to make this video popular and viral.
In that sense, it is actually, yeah, it's kind of offensive to a lot of fans to these like like true fans to these kind of a culture or this story behind this.
Well, some people might find it offensive, but other people or maybe the wider public might just find it to be interesting because of the shock value, especially at this moment.
I think there's definitely the novelty factor still in play because, you know, in the past, you've never seen anything like this.
But I suspect that when this becomes more and more common and maybe the shock factor will no longer be in play.
But certainly what we've all the examples we've given so far, there's a mega problem with that intellectual property, because these are all characters that are taken from established and proprietary, well, items of intellectual property.
Yeah, exactly. It's not like you're creating your...
Yeah, it's not public domain, sorry to interrupt.
Yeah, indeed. It's not like you've created your own character.
But then if you created your own character, nobody would have recognized it and nobody would have been sharing it on social media or attracting so much traffic.
I mean, I'm kind of reminded, I don't know if you've ever seen the movie or not, but Baz Lureman, the I think he's an Australian director, he did the modern day version of Romeo and Juliet, the Shakespeare play.
Starring DiCaprio. Yeah, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, right?
And that was a modern take on Shakespeare.
Now, Shakespeare to literary purists in the West is like sacred literary ground.
You don't go there and you don't mess with it.
So the purists, you know, they had a bit of a problem with that film when it came out.
Roger Ebert is a very well -known film critic, and I think he said something along the lines of, you know, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are talented, but they're in over their head because there's a way you're supposed to speak Shakespeare.
There's a way you're supposed to deliver the language and they have not mastered it.
That was one critic's opinion.
Whereas the Hollywood Reporter said, you know, this isn't going to replace other top cinematic versions of Romeo and Juliet, but it was meant to target a young audience and the release was successful.
And this is the point that I want to make.
I'll ask the question.
When that came out in 1996, I was I was an English major at the time, I was studying Shakespeare.
And the reason I loved it is because it introduced Shakespeare to an audience that perhaps would never ever have seen a Shakespearean film or read a Shakespearean play.
What I'm wondering is, you know, gave the example of did you call it empresses in the palace?
Yes. Is it possible that maybe this is doing a service in that it's introducing it to people who might not have known about it or reminding people that it is such a wonderful piece of Chinese art?
Yeah, that's also one side of the opinions.
You know, people also think that with all of these altering these, it is kind of a breathing new life into the classics.
So the appeal of these videos often stems from audiences familiarity with these original because why people are doing this on these kind of videos because people love them and people most people know the basic plots and ideas of this drama.
And that's why people are kind of remixing different ideas on these videos.
That's a really good point.
If it's somebody who doesn't know John Juan or the Empress in the palace or the other way to say it, the legend of John Juan, do you think that person would be interested at all to see Nianfei?
She's actually the concubine, imperial concubine that was on a motor a motorbike.
And so, I mean, for you, Steve, you're not from China.
You don't know John Juan and then would that even interest you?
So I think this is your facial expression seem to look kind of blank.
So I assume it wasn't it's not something that would interest you.
Well, I mean, not at first glance because I don't know anything about it.
But like I said, now that we're here talking about it now recreating chances for people to know and this is what I was trying to say before is that maybe, you know, there's a group of people who don't love this.
They think, oh, you're stepping on other people's toes here.
We don't like, you know, you're messing with the original art.
But yet I do think that there is something to that.
It's opening it up to a bigger audience.
But I still have some reservations here because the example you gave, Steve, that was, you know, the interpretation of Romeo and Juliet.
That is true in the in 1996.
But here, thanks to A .I., we're talking about directly lifting images and videos and basically faces and bodies of living people and also proprietary content into a video that's expressing something that they have no consent to.
And that's not OK. Yeah.
So I guess to be more accurate with my example, then we'd have to take the princess from the story and put her on that Harley Davidson behind Leonardo DiCaprio playing Romeo in that film and have her drive down the street or ride down the street on that bike.
Then you'd have the Shakespearean purists come out even more and say, oh, this doesn't make sense.
Now you're really totally combining two different worlds.
Yeah, you bring up a fair point.
That was just a reinterpretation of Shakespeare.
Yeah, you might have Leo and his international film studio coming to sue these people for using their image without them knowing it at all.
So what about now the Chinese government or at least in the regulations sphere of things where we're seeing new changes to adapt to this changing scene as well?
Exactly. As you said, when these kind of plots or ideas of these classics were totally distorted, this could be misleading, right?
So what we can see is that on December 7th, the National Radio and Television Administration or NRTA of China issued a management notice on AI modified content to address this growing trend of AI modified videos.
And the guidelines clearly said that the manipulation of classic works, especially if the modifications contradict the original spirit and integrity of the piece, constitutes a violation or intellectual property and cultural respect.
Additionally, using AI tools to remix or modify films or TV shows featuring actors likenesses without consent may infringe upon actors' image rights.
And the point that I made before, that's the flip side to it right there.
If you're introducing a story or art to people who didn't know about it before, but they're learning about it this way for the first time, then that takes away from the I don't even know how to phrase it properly, but it takes away from the cultural richness of the original material.
I think there's an argument there, too.
I think there's an argument there as well, but I'll also play devil's advocate in making this point.
These AI generated videos or this world we live in kind of thrive in a postmodern environment where destruction or let's use a different word, deconstruction of traditional narratives and genres have become a norm.
And this is the environment where young people are living in.
And I can't say good or bad, but definitely time is moving on and so are people.
So, well, I guess you just got to stay alert and watch and see if you can participate as well in all this change that is unfolding in our very eyes.
Coming up next, Motivational Monday.
Motivational Monday.
For this Motivational Monday, I know Yushu is very excited because you have big news to share with us.
Yes. So, first of all, let's say my quote.
It is actually a well -known saying in China, though many might not realize it originates from Journey to the West.
The classic that classic.
I mean, the Chinese novel.
And the saying goes, Shishong Wunan Shih Jupa Yoh, senior.
And this is very classic from even on primary school.
It means nothing in the world is insurmountable.
It only takes determination.
This quote was also shared by Feng Ji, who is the CEO of Black Myth Wukong.
That's the topic I want to talk about.
After the game did not wing Game of the Year at this year's TGA, the game awards, which is also commonly known as the Oscars of the game industry, while the game did wing Best Action Game and the World, a monumental achievement for Chinese gaming.
It was likely still a bittersweet moment for both the producers and creators and fans, of course.
So in response, Feng Ji offered this quote and explaining his own understanding.
He believes it doesn't mean that any difficulty can be overcome as long as you are willing, but rather that with the right mindset to face challenges, difficulties, failures become less intimidating and they won't easily defeat you.
So, you know, I think, of course, everyone faces countless difficulties in life and those challenges often leave us struggles or, you know, feeling exhausted, discouraged or even in pain.
But, you know, when you can, you know, when a life spent calmly navigating inevitable hardships feels more fulfilling and after all, that's the challenging that makes it so fun.
Right. So just like Journey to the West wouldn't be the same story without its 81 tribulations and life itself would be incomplete without its hardships.
So that's my motivation.
What was that original quote again?
You want the Chinese one or English one?
Or nothing is the world.
Nothing in the world is insurmountable.
It only takes determination, especially with A .I.
video making tools.
That's the twenty twenty four version of that quote, I guess.
Right. What about you, Steve?
What's your motivational Monday?
Mine's personal. Thank you for asking.
So a best friend of mine is going through some health hardships these days.
And the wonderful community of friends and family that he has around him, we're working together to try to support him as much as we can.
And I was speaking with a fellow friend and we were talking about how my friend is quite proud.
And he for him to ask for help would be a very, very difficult thing.
And one of the things that came up in my conversation with my other friend was this quote, asking for help isn't shameful.
It's one of the braver things you'll ever do.
And I love that. And I learned that message before myself.
That life message is that everybody needs help sometimes.
Right. You cannot go through your life your whole life from start to finish and never need help from from from anyone else.
So sometimes you have to ask for it.
And I think the message I want to share today is if you do feel like you need some help, don't be afraid to ask, because what you'll find is that your friends and family around you will be more than happy to help you out.
Exactly. When especially when you if the one is the right one to ask, they will feel happy.
And that you asked.
Yeah, because I am the one that can help you and feel trusted.
Indeed. And for this week's Motivational Monday, I've got a song for you that's been lighting a fire under me lately.
It's called Bonfire Heart by James Blunt, released in 2013.
This track is all about tapping into your inner strength and finding the courage to keep moving no matter what life throws at you.
And by the by, James Blunt recently held a concert in Beijing's Wukasoom Stadium a week ago.
And trust me, the live experience is always better than streaming if you've got a good singer and the energy was just another level.
Anyhow, so this song starts with the powerful line.
We're all just looking for a reason to believe, which really hit me.
We all face challenges and sometimes it feels like the weight of everything is just too much.
But the truth is we all have that reason to believe it's inside of us.
You've got a fire in your heart.
And when you're struggling, that's what you need to tap into.
Or maybe ask for help, like Steve just mentioned, but just don't give up on it even if the road is tough.
And speaking of energy, when James Blunt sings, people like us, we don't need that much.
It's just a reminder that sometimes the simple things are all we really need to thrive.
It's not about chasing after big material goals, but about holding on to what truly matters, our heart, our passion, and the people who lift us up.
People like us. We are the lucky ones.
That lyric tells us that despite the chaos, we have everything we need inside of us to keep moving forward.
So turn on, bonfire heart, and let it fuel you and know that you've got everything you need to rise above whatever comes your way.
And that brings us to the end of today's roundtable.
Thank you so much, Steve Hatherly, and Yuxuan for joining the discussion.
I'm He Young. Enjoy the music, enter Monday, and we'll see you next time.
All my life, everybody wants to fly.
