Actors and Scenes All Virtual: China's First Fully AI Film to Be Released This Summer Sparks Heated Discussion

China's first fully AI-generated film, "Soul Ferry: Dream of Floating Life," is set to be released this summer. With all actors, scenes, and editing generated by AI, it has sparked a heated debate on whether AI can replace human acting. The production team describes it as an "efficiency experiment" to explore AI's auxiliary value in IP development.
新製品NQ 0/100出典:PR Times

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  • 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 20:14
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Central News Agency

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 22nd) The fully AI film "Soul Ferry: Dream of Floating Life," co-produced by iQiyi and Changxin Media, will be released this summer, becoming China's first publicly screened fully AI film. As all elements in the film, including characters, scenes, and editing, are generated by AI, it has sparked heated discussions in China's film industry and among netizens about "whether AI can replace human acting."

According to comprehensive reports from Hong Kong Economic Times and Chinese media, "Soul Ferry: Dream of Floating Life" is the first fully AI-generated work from China's well-known IP "Soul Ferry" since its launch in 2014.

According to reports, all characters, including the three main protagonists Zhao Li, Xia Dongqing, and Wang Xiaoya, as well as scene design, visual effects, special effects, character voice acting, background music, sound effects, post-editing, and transitions, are entirely synthesized by AI, achieving pure AI-ization from content creation to completion of production, thereby recreating the supernatural atmosphere and classic scenes from the original series.

However, the report mentioned that the main creators of "Soul Ferry," Guo Jingyu, Xiao Jixiangtian, and Ding Kuan, serve as the producer, screenwriter, and director of "Soul Ferry: Dream of Floating Life," respectively, and are still responsible for controlling the core story elements of the entire film.

However, Guo Jingyu had publicly opposed the abuse of AI actors, stating, "Why use fake actors for dramas that real people can perform?" But he served as the producer of "Soul Ferry: Dream of Floating Life," a fully AI film, which led to criticism from many Chinese netizens for being "double-standard." At the same time, this film also sparked speculation about whether Chinese cinema might enter a "full AI era," leading to the decline of the film industry, all of which have caused heated discussion.

Guo Jingyu responded to the above questions by stating that "Soul Ferry: Dream of Floating Life" is an "efficiency experiment" aimed at exploring the auxiliary value of AI in IP development, and is not entirely about replacing human acting. (Editors: Qiu Guojiang/Yang Shengru) 1150422

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