The Man Who Makes AI Slop by Hand

Mu shouldn’t be the one comic who has tried to mimic the type of AI-generated movies, however he actually nails the entire parts: The clumsy bodily actions, the spaced-out facial expressions, and the unpredictable plot improvement. Many viewers, me included, have been shocked at how precisely he captured the essence of AI slop movies.

Mu tells me that the half-dozen AI imitation movies he has filmed symbolize solely a small a part of his appearing profession. He has needed to be an actor since school and spent the summer time after his freshman yr at Hengdian World Studios—the world’s largest movie studio—searching for background appearing alternatives. He began making comedy sketches on Chinese language social media in 2019, and content material creation now takes up most of his time.

The success of his AI imitation movies earned him a sponsorship deal from a Chinese language generative AI firm, which paid him 80,000 RMB (about $11,000) to provide two extra sketches selling the corporate’s video mannequin. That’s not a nasty gig, however I truthfully anticipated Mu to have acquired extra alternatives by means of his world virality.

As a part of the sponsorship, Mu shot two variations of the sketches, one which embedded AI-generated footage and one with out it. He was secretly hoping that the advertiser would select the latter, as a result of it showcases human appearing expertise entrance and heart. However the advertiser selected the one with the AI. “That type of feels prefer it’s beginning to steal jobs from human actors, doesn’t it?” Mu says.

Mu popped up on my timeline once more final week when he launched a sequel to his first AI imitation collection, this time mimicking the movies created by Sora, OpenAI’s newest generative video instrument. His new video is rather more delicate however nonetheless manages to nail that unexplainably unsettling feeling that has endured at the same time as AI movies develop into extra superior.

Mu says there’s a perpetual battle underway as AI accelerates, but it surely’s not man versus machine. Relatively, the conflict is between people and different people who make AI fashions, and both sides is consistently attempting to at least one up the opposite. “We’re poking enjoyable at a few of AI’s flaws, its eeriness and absurdity, however the AI creators are in all probability bettering these, too. You see, this yr’s AI already seems rather more human,” Mu says.

How you can Act Like AI

Earlier than he made his first AI imitation sketch in July 2024, Mu watched numerous AI slop movies to check their frequent traits. He needed to grasp the sorts of errors AI usually makes after which re-create them in his personal scripts.

For instance, when an object seems within the body, AI usually misunderstands its objective for being there. For instance, a hanger can be utilized to hold garments, but it surely’s additionally usually the weapon of selection when dad and mom in China bodily punish their kids. That twin use impressed one other one of Mu’s movies final yr, the place halfway by means of pretending to hit his “son” with a hanger, the boy’s shorts mysteriously come off, and Mu seems like he immediately forgot what he’s doing and determined to hold up the shorts as a substitute.