Of course. Here is a comprehensive summary of the news article, formatted as requested. ### **News Summary: China's Aggressive AI Adoption in Film vs. Hollywood's Caution** * **News Title:** AI is controversial in Hollywood. For China’s film business, it’s no holds barred * **Report Provider:** Los Angeles Times * **Author:** Wendy Lee * **Date Published:** June 30, 2025 --- ### **Executive Summary** The news report details a significant divergence in how the United States and China are approaching the use of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry. While Hollywood remains cautious due to strong opposition from creative guilds and concerns over intellectual property, China is launching a large-scale, government-backed project to use AI to revitalize classic films. This "no-holds-barred" approach is driven by a desire to cut costs, enhance cultural exports, and dominate the AI space, reflecting a different societal and regulatory landscape where labor concerns are less influential. --- ### **China's AI Film Revitalization Project** A major initiative led by the China Film Foundation, a nonprofit under the Chinese government, aims to use AI to modernize and reintroduce classic films to a new generation of global viewers. **Project Details:** * **Initiative:** To use AI to revitalize **100 classic kung fu films**. * **Key Partners:** The China Film Foundation and Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co. * **Featured Films & Stars:** The project includes iconic movies such as *Police Story* (Jackie Chan), *Once Upon a Time in China* (Jet Li), and *Fist of Fury* (Bruce Lee). * **AI Applications:** * Creating new animated versions of live-action films, such as an AI-driven reinterpretation of John Woo’s *A Better Tomorrow*. * Adding "stunning realism" to original films. * Building "immersive viewing experiences," like virtual bamboo forest duels. * **Stated Goal:** As stated by Zhang Pimin, chairman of the China Film Foundation, "By empowering cultural storytelling with technology, we can breathe new life into the classics and tell China’s stories farther and louder." **Financial & Production Impact:** * **Investment:** Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co. is allocating approximately **$14 million** to co-invest in selected projects, with "no revenue-sharing cap." * **Production Efficiency:** The AI-animated remake of *A Better Tomorrow* was reportedly completed with a crew of only **30 people**, significantly fewer than a typical animated project, highlighting AI's disruptive potential for labor. --- ### **Hollywood's Cautious Stance and Key Concerns** In stark contrast, the U.S. entertainment industry is approaching generative AI with significant apprehension, driven by organized labor and copyright holders. * **Labor & Creative Integrity:** Hollywood guilds are deeply concerned about AI's impact on jobs and creative control. * The **Directors Guild of America (DGA)** issued a strong statement: *"The DGA strongly opposes the use of AI or any other technology to mutilate a film or to alter a director’s vision."* They view AI as a tool that should only be used to *enhance*, not retroactively *distort*, a filmmaker's work. * **SAG-AFTRA** has actively fought for contractual protections against the unauthorized use of actors' digital likenesses and is pushing for federal legislation against deepfakes. * **Intellectual Property (IP) & Legal Action:** U.S. studios are actively protecting their IP. For example, **Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures** have sued AI startup Midjourney, alleging its model was trained on their copyrighted characters. * **Talent Relations:** Studios are reluctant to announce AI partnerships for fear of alienating talent who are wary of the technology. --- ### **Contrasting Societal and Regulatory Environments** The different approaches are rooted in fundamental differences in public opinion, labor rights, and government priorities between the two countries. * **Public Perception:** A United Nations Development Program survey highlights a massive gap in public trust. * **China:** **83%** of people feel confident that AI systems are designed to act in the best interest of society. * **United States:** Only **37%** of people feel the same. * **Labor & Governance:** China lacks the powerful, independent labor unions that exist in the U.S. * According to Professor Eric Harwit of the University of Hawaii, job losses from AI in China are often viewed as "just the cost of China’s moving forward," with fewer avenues for organized protest. --- ### **Reactions from Original Stakeholders** The announcement of the Chinese project surprised several of the original creators and their estates, indicating a lack of initial consultation. * **Bruce Lee Enterprises:** A spokesperson stated they were "previously unaware of this development and is currently gathering information." * **Director John Woo:** He had not been contacted about the AI remake of his film *A Better Tomorrow* but expressed that he is "very curious about the outcome." * **Jackie Chan:** A representative for the China Film Foundation said Chan is "aware" of the project and that discussions with his team are planned. Chan's own representative did not respond to a request for comment. --- ### **Strategic Rationale for China** China's aggressive AI strategy in film is a calculated move with clear cultural and economic goals. * **Global Cultural Export:** While China's domestic blockbusters (e.g., *Ne Zha 2*, which grossed **$2.2 billion** globally) often fail to attract large U.S. audiences, classic martial arts films have a proven and enduring global following. As noted by analyst Paul Dergarabedian, "action travels." * **Low-Risk, High-Reward:** Revitalizing existing, popular IP is seen as a low-risk strategy to enhance value. As noted by attorney Simon Pulman, "They’ve got very little to lose by doing this." * **Technological Advancement:** The project aligns with a broader national enthusiasm across government and industry to "adopt and integrate AI" and compete for dominance in the field.
AI is controversial in Hollywood. For China’s film business, it’s no holds barred
Read original at Los Angeles Times →Hollywood’s relationship with artificial intelligence is fraught, as studios balance the need to cut costs with growing concerns from actors, directors and crew members. But in China, efforts to use AI in entertainment are taking a more no-holds-barred approach.The China Film Foundation, a nonprofit fund under the Chinese government, plans to use AI to revitalize 100 kung fu classics including “Police Story,” “Once Upon a Time in China” and “Fist of Fury,” featuring Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee, respectively.
The foundation said it will partner with businesses including Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co., which will license 100 Hong Kong films to AI companies to reintroduce those movies to younger audiences globally. (Cinema City) The foundation said there are opportunities to use AI to tell those stories through animation, for example.
There are plans to release an animated version of director John Woo’s 1986 film “A Better Tomorrow” that uses AI to “reinterpret” Woo’s “signature visual language,” according to an English transcript of the announcement.“By empowering cultural storytelling with technology, we can breathe new life into the classics and tell China’s stories farther and louder,” said Zhang Pimin, chairman of the China Film Foundation, at the Shanghai International Film Festival earlier this month.
The project raised eyebrows among U.S. artists, many of whom are deeply wary of the use of AI in creative pursuits. The Directors Guild of America said AI is a creative tool that should only be used to enhance the creative storytelling process and “it should never be used retroactively to distort or destroy a filmmaker’s artistic work.
” “The DGA strongly opposes the use of AI or any other technology to mutilate a film or to alter a director’s vision,” the DGA said in a statement. “The Guild has a longstanding history of opposing such alterations on issues like colorization or sanitization of films to eliminate so-called ‘objectionable content’, or other changes that fundamentally alter a film’s original style, meaning, and substance.
”The project highlights widely divergent views on AI’s potential to reshape entertainment as the two countries compete for dominance in the highly competitive AI space. In the U.S., much of the traditional entertainment industry has taken a tepid view of generative AI, due to concerns over protecting intellectual property and labor relations.
While some Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate and Blumhouse have collaborated with AI companies, others have been reluctant to announce partnerships at the risk of offending talent that have voiced concerns over how AI could be used to alter their digital likeness without adequate compensation. But other countries like China have fewer guardrails, which has led to more experimentation of the technology by entertainment companies.
Many people in China embrace AI, with 83% feeling confident that AI systems are designed to act in the best interest of society, much higher than the U.S. where it’s 37%, according to a survey from the United Nations Development Program.The foundation’s announcement came as a surprise to Bruce Lee Enterprises, which oversees legal usage of Lee’s likeness in creative works.
Bruce Lee’s family was “previously unaware of this development and is currently gathering information,” a spokesperson said. Woo, in a written statement, said he hadn’t heard from the foundation about the AI remake, noting that the rights to “A Better Tomorrow” have changed hands several times.“I wasn’t really involved in the project because I’m not very familiar with AI technology,” Woo said in a statement to The Times.
“However, I’m very curious about the outcome and the effect it might have on my original film.”David Chi, who represents the China Film Foundation’s Special Fund for Film and Urban Development, said in an interview that Chan is aware of the project and he has plans to talk with Chan’s team. A representative of Chan’s did not respond to a request for comment.
“We do need to talk ... very specifically how we‘re using animated or AI existing technology, and how that would combine with his image rights and business rights,” Chi said. Chi did not have an immediate response to the DGA, Bruce Lee Enterprises and Woo’s statements.AI is already used in China for script development, content moderation and recommendations and translation.
In postproduction, AI has reduced the time to complete visual effects work from days to hours, said He Tao, an official with the National Radio and Television Administration’s research center, during remarks at the festival. “Across government agencies, content platforms, and production institutions, the enthusiasm to adopt and integrate AI has never been stronger,” He said.
During the project’s announcement, supporters touted the opportunity AI will bring to China to further its cultural message globally and generate new work for creatives. At the same time, they touted AI’s disruption of the filmmaking process, saying the “A Better Tomorrow” remake was completed with just 30 people, significantly fewer than a typical animated project.
China is a “more brutal society in that sense,” said Eric Harwit, professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “If somebody loses their job because artificial intelligence is taking over, well, that’s just the cost of China’s moving forward. They don’t have that kind of regret about people losing jobs and there are less opportunities for organized protest against the Chinese government.
” (Golden Harvest) Hollywood guilds such as SAG-AFTRA have been outspoken about the harm AI could have on jobs and have fought for protections against AI in contracts in TV shows, films and video games. The unions have also pushed state and federal legislators to create laws that would give people more protections against deep fakes, or videos manipulated to show a person endorsing an idea or product that they don’t actually support.
There is no equivalent of that in China. “You don’t have those freestanding labor organizations, so they don’t have that kind of clout to protest against the Chinese using artificial intelligence in a way that might reduce their job opportunities or lead to layoffs in the sector,” Harwit added. U.S.
studios are also going to court to challenge the ways AI companies train their models on copyrighted materials. Earlier this month, Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures sued AI startup Midjourney, alleging it uses technology to generate images that copy the studios’ famous characters, including Yoda and Shrek.
In China, officials involved in the project to remaster kung fu films said they were eager to work with AI companies. They said that AI will be used to add “stunning realism” to the movies. They are planning to build “immersive viewing experiences” such as walking into a bamboo forest duel and “feeling the philosophy of movement and stillness.
” In areas such as animation, new environments could be created with AI, Chi said. “We are offering full access to our IP, platform, and adaptation rights to partners worldwide — with the goal of delivering richer, more diverse, and high-quality AI enhanced film works to global audiences,” said Tian Ming, chairman of Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co.
in his remarks earlier this month. Tian said there is no revenue-sharing cap and it is allocating about $14 million to co-invest in selected projects and share in the returns. The kung fu revitalization efforts will extend into other areas, including the creation of a martial arts video game.Industry observers said China is wise to go back to its well of popular martial arts classics out of Hong Kong, which have inspired U.
S. action movies for decades.There’s also not as much risk involved for China, said Simon Pulman, a partner at law firm Pryor Cashman.“They’ve got very little to lose by doing this,” Pulman said. “If it can potentially enhance the value of those movies, there’s very little downside for them.”China’s film industry has grown significantly compared to decades ago, boosted by the proliferation of movie theaters, including Imax screens, in the country.
In the past, China’s box office relied heavily on U.S. productions like movies from the “Fast & Furious” and Marvel franchises, but now local movies dominate the market. The Chinese animated movie “Ne Zha 2” grossed $2.2 billion at the box office globally. But those Chinese productions generally don’t draw large U.
S. audiences when they’re released in the States. The classic martial arts movies, however, have a global following and enduring legacy. “People love martial arts movies, because action travels,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It doesn’t matter what language it’s in, if you have a great action sequence and great fighting sequences.
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