On December 10th, Sohu reported that the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) of China issued a directive to conduct a review, focusing on videos created by AI (artificial intelligence) that distort the content of classic characters to create a new viewing environment, especially on the Internet. Among these are legendary films such as Journey to the West, Red Sorghum, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Empresses in the Palace, Legend of the Condor Heroes, and Return of the Condor Heroes which have been heavily edited.
According to Sohu, the “AI-transformed” videos contain content that is considered humorous entertainment, such as “Ton Ngo Khong does not affect Tang”, “Empresses in the Palace fighting”, “Empresses in the Palace riding motorcycles”, “Lam Dai Ngoc and Gia Bao Ngoc frequently engaging in hand-to-hand combat”, especially featuring edited montages of classic characters falling in love regardless of gender or era, attracting millions of views on various short video platforms.
Initially, these videos were seen as a fresh creative approach, making classic characters act as if they were living in modern times, adding a contemporary voice for viewers. However, the edited content has become increasingly disconnected, with some videos being deemed unworthy, trivializing classic characters. Therefore, there are quite a few viewers expressing their dissatisfaction with the “AI-transformed” videos.
According to Sohu, Chinese regulatory agencies are concerned about the spread of such videos with inaccurate content, as they may lead to misconceptions about historical figures or classic characters on screen.
AI-generated videos often contain inaccurate content, creating a negative impact on viewers’ understanding, leading audiences to misunderstand literary works.
Moreover, according to Sohu, these intrusive video contents are seen as an infringement on classic intellectual property rights, simultaneously violating the rights and image of serious actors. Many viewers express concern that they may not have a proper perspective on classic characters from legendary works.
On the other hand, the news outlet also pointed out that these short videos with such content are hard to control because they appear on many different platforms, while the process of content removal encounters many difficulties, complicating legal enforcement.
