China debuts its first AI-made cartoon series

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China has launched its first AI-generated cartoon series.

The 26-episode series, Qianqiu Shisong, -- made with the help of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) services -- was telecast first on Monday by state broadcaster China Media Group (CMG).

It used CMG Media GPT, which consists of the broadcaster’s video and audio archives, as well as AI technology of Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL).

GenAI was “used in every stage of Qianqiu Shisong’s production process, from art design to video generation and post-production,” SAIL said, according to the daily South China Morning Post.

“The CMG Media GPT provides animation producers with a low-cost and efficient concept-design tool for character and scene designs,” SAIL said.

Shen Haixiong, head of China Media, said: “We will delve deeper into technological innovation, embrace the internet and AI … [and] build a ‘powerful engine’ and ‘driving force’ for a new type of international mainstream media.”

The Chinese government has pressed officials to promote the development and use of AI across central state-owned enterprises.

Meanwhile, in the first effective ruling of its kind globally, a Chinese court this week ruled in a case of copyright infringement by an artificial intelligence-generated service, providing a judicial answer to the debate over whether content generated by AI service providers infringes on copyright.