The continued blurring of the lines between film festivals and tech showcases has been witnessed in Shanghai across the past week, as panels, screenings and assorted displays of where the film industry stands and where it may be headed played out in real time.
The scene was set during an opening press conference for the Shanghai International Film Festival’s (SIFF) main Golden Goblet Awards jury, when actress Xin Zhilei was asked how she had prepared for the role and laughed that she had consulted the Chinese AI app Doubao for all the advice she needed. It was a line that brought the house down, capturing both how rapidly the technology has risen and how ubiquitous its embrace has become in these parts.
China puts the value of its core AI industry at some $174 billion, with film — and the wider umbrella term “content” — taking a decent whack out of that thanks mainly to the growing use of AI in short dramas and animation.
There were a few SIFF initiatives this year that took innovative and insightful approaches to the rise of AI and its impact on cinema. Chief among them was the AI Backlot program — partnered with Hailuo AI (MiniMax) — which paired a traditional filmmaker with one from the AI side of the industry and tasked them with producing an AI short over a month, while recording the whole experience.
