Entertainment Giant aims to spotlight new content strategies centered around AI-driven films, series and animation, streamlining operations and reduce costs with AI
Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM has announced plans to expand the use of artificial intelligence across the content pipeline as part of a broader strategy to boost production and realize ideas that would otherwise be limited by budget constraints.
At a press conference Monday, the company said AI will be applied to four key areas. Original content such as films and series developed using scripts, production (e.g., editing process), international distribution of content, and generation techniques.
Among its AI-driven project is “Cat Biggie,” a short form of animation of a dialogue about a cat that will become a father to a baby chick. It was created by a team of six over five months. This is just a small part of the typical workforce and timeline, with the 30-episode series rolling out globally on YouTube in July. Each episode runs for two minutes, and the series will be released for free to increase character recognition among global audiences, the company said.
Jung Chang-Ik, who created “Cat Biggie,” said at the “CAT ENM Culture Talk event” at the company's Talent Studio, which said it significantly reduced the creation process by deploying AI.
“If traditional animation production methods that typically require at least 20-30 staff and a development period of more than one to two years when including planning and development stages, a team of just six creators completed the project in just five months,” Jung said.
“This was seen as a truly innovative process and was made possible through the integration of AI solutions,” he said.
Baek Hyun-Jung, head of AI Business & Production at CJ ENM, highlighted the company's long-term vision for AI, citing two additional AI-based projects under development. The Greek myth-inspired series “Legend” and the film “Apartment” are both targeting the release in late 2025.
Baek also pointed out the possibility of AI to unlock previously unachievable concepts, especially in high-cost genres such as sci-fi and fantasy. “As production costs and related factors continue to grow at scale, the amount of content that can actually be produced is very limited,” she said.
“The fantasy and sci-fi genres in particular require a significant budget that leads to genre-based limitations, especially when compared to Hollywood.
“These genres often include astronomical production costs, so even creative science fiction and fantasy ideas are rarely realized in practice. So, integrating AI-driven graphics technology into traditional dramas and films means telling rich stories and providing high quality visuals without being bounded by territory.”
One hurdle in AIRED production remains consistent. This is a key component of serialization or long-term storytelling.
“Even when using the same prompts, (AI) is very limited in generating the same text and background. This makes it extremely difficult to generate video content with coherent storytelling. However, CJ ENM is working to advance the solution to ensure consistency to suit your desired style,” explained Bek.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
