The future is here (unfortunately): Chinese TV giant TCL recently announced Next Stop Paris, the world’s first AI-generated rom-com. The film uses tech called Runway ML and Midjourney to generate the visuals, but hold on a second before you picture a groundbreaking cinematic experience.
The early trailer hints at a pretty… uncanny valley approach. While the plot seems like your standard meet-cute-in-Paris fairytale, the AI struggles to keep the main characters consistent. They morph and change from scene to scene, like digital chameleons.
TCL assures us this isn’t quite a full-length feature – think more of an extended TV episode. Also, not everything is AI: a human write the script, and the voices come from actual actors. What the company execs are betting on is the “AI novelty factor” to set them apart.
Next Stop Paris is definitely grabbing attention, and not in a good way. Social media isn’t exactly throwing virtual roses on the stage. it’s rather rotten totmatos. Comments on Reddit were scathing, with some viewers calling it “disgusting” and questioning the point of an entirely AI-made film that might be, well, entirely mediocre. And would you look at that – the commens on the YouTube trailer are mysteriously disabled. I wonder why.
What’s the issue here?
Or maybe I should ask what the issues are since there are a few. The most obvious one regards quality and consistency. The trailer reveals a struggle with AI keeping characters visually consistent, and it really, really shows. Not to mention that it lacks the human touch and emotional depth that makes a good rom-com. Or a good movie in general.
There could also be copyright issues, considering this is still a grey area. And as AI takes on more tasks in filmmaking, there’s a worry about human filmmakers and creative professionals losing their jobs. It’s already making its way into Hollywood, by the way. But hey, if the result it will look like this – I think the movie industry is safe. For now.
via Unilad Tech
