A promotional image for SBS Medianet's AI drama, "Kiss Lighting — Ghost Cupid" / Captured from YouTube

Korea's first artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drama, "Kiss Lighting — Ghost Cupid," is generating buzz ahead of its premiere scheduled for Dec. 4, with a pre-release on YouTube.

It is a part of the "K-Village Project," a joint venture between SBS Medianet and the Korea Foundation for Cooperation of Large & Small Business, Rural Affairs. The unique romance story, to be aired on SBS M, revolves around a ghost named Wooyeon (played by Jung Hyuk), who assists people in finding love.

What sets it apart is the use of AI to write the screenplay and create visuals. According to the production company, Kings Creative, the director initially wrote a rough outline, which was then refined using ChatGPT. The resulting ideas were discussed in meetings before the writer finalized the script. For the visuals, AI tools such as HeyGen, ElevenLabs and Midjourney were used to generate images.

Korea is witnessing an increasing adoption of AI in drama production, extending beyond this project. In April, another broadcaster, MBC C&I, launched a program to select 12 new creators and develop dramas using generative AI and extended reality (XR) technologies. Of the 12, nine were produced as pilot episodes and were first screened for invited guests at the "Prompt: NEXT DRAMA Screening Day" in October. These pilots were later publicly shown during the AI Content Festival 2024.

Experts say that one of the biggest advantages of using AI in drama and film production is the significant reduction in time and costs, making it possible for anyone to become a movie or drama creator.

According to Jung In-su, a producer at Kings Creative, AI drastically simplifies processes that once required significant time and effort. For instance, changing someone's face on screen previously meant spending several nights rendering and meticulously cleaning up skin. With AI, however, you can easily experiment with different options to achieve the desired result. Additionally, generating countless illustrations with AI costs less than 100,000 won ($72) per month, compared to the 200,000-300,000 won typically charged for a single human-created illustration.

A scene from the AI film, "Mateo," produced by Mateo AI Studio / Courtesy of MBC C&I

Yang Eek-jun, a producer at Mateo AI Studio, which won the grand prize at the 1st Korea International AI Film Festival this year with the film "Mateo," said, "We've entered an era where creators can be liberated from the constraints of capital and technology thanks to AI.

"If you make a short film with your own money and it doesn't get into a film festival or attract attention, then regardless of your passion, you have to take a break for a year or two, simply because it costs so much money," Yang said during the 2024 Immersive Day conference on AI and the future of creativity at Korea National University of Arts in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul, Friday.

"But now that AI is here, we can make films at home with just our time and effort. I believe we're in a great era where we can make films whenever we want and then compete again. In fact, for those of us who create content, I think this is more important than AI dominating humanity."

Jung at Kings Creative noted that AI empowers people to create images and videos that were previously unimaginable.

"Starting from the script, everything ultimately relies on big data. AI can access information that we might forget, and while we search for data and develop ideas, AI generates text based on facts and the directions we provide," Jung said. He added that many writers and directors he knows frequently use ChatGPT for research, treating it much like an encyclopedia.

Promise and challenges

A promotional image for SBS Medianet's AI-drama "Kiss Lighting — Ghost Cupid" / Captured from YouTube

Although the U.S. and China dominate the AI service market, Korea has a competitive edge when it comes to leveraging the technology for content creation, as the country's robust telecommunications and computer infrastructure offer a significant advantage, according to producer Lee Sang-wook of MBC C&I.

However, with AI technology advancing at such a rapid pace, Yang at Mateo AI Studio emphasized that strong storytelling has become even more crucial amid the overwhelming flood of content.

"Creating an AI-featured film, typically at least 80 minutes, is the biggest concern, as AI-generated content often fails to maintain audience engagement beyond the first minute. With attention spans waning so quickly, we question whether we can sustain viewer interest for an entire 80-minute film. This is our greatest challenge and a new frontier for us," he said.

Yang also noted that the global AI content market is grappling with significant copyright challenges, highlighting the risks of unintentionally infringing upon existing works, using animation as an example.

"When we experimented with animation, we noticed similarities between our work and that of studios like Pixar and Disney. This underscores the significant copyright challenges we face. We're closely monitoring legal developments in this area," he said.

Lee Seung-ki, an attorney at Lee & Law Partners, emphasized the complex legal landscape particularly surrounding copyright ownership.

"AI dramas and films present a unique challenge, as AI, rather than humans, is driving the creative process. This raises questions about copyright ownership, especially given the collaborative nature of AI-assisted projects involving writers, directors and engineers," the legal expert said.

"AI companies may claim rights not only over their technology but also over the content created with it, potentially leading to legal disputes between AI firms and creators. To address these risks, AI companies might require contracts specifying intellectual property rights before licensing their technology for drama and film production. Alternatively, partnerships between AI companies and drama producers could be established to share profits generated by AI-optimized production tools."