Used by Production Companies to 'Star' in AI-Generated Content, Xiao Zhan's Fans Rally for Justice

China’s short drama industry is growing at lightning speed and is considered a gold mine in recent years. Many celebrities hope to get a piece of the pie, but some production companies have been using AI technology to let mega stars “appear” for their own profit!

Recently, many Chinese AI short dramas such as "Jinghua Storm" and "Qinghuan Mistake" have used top star Xiao Zhan’s facial features and drama styling for profit without authorization. Among them, the "Jinghua" drama even directly "replicates" his look from the popular series "Canghai Chuan"; in some short dramas, Xiao Zhan was even depicted as a villain, leading the public to question whether his image was being maligned.

Xiao Zhan's fans are extremely dissatisfied with this and have mobilized online to demand justice for their idol. Some of the short dramas involved only dealt with the issue by partially pixelating the images, without removing the works altogether.

According to Chinese legal experts, as long as AI-generated content such as images, videos, or voices can allow the public to recognize a specific individual, infringement has occurred. If AI is used to profit from a celebrity’s likeness, the highest penalty can be more than 10 years in prison, along with fines or confiscation of property; if defamation is involved or if drama styling is replicated, it may also constitute infringement of reputation rights and copyright of the original work.

Source: on.cc