Finished in Two Months Without Actors or Crew…A 100% AI Film Arrives

An ethical clash that erupts as artificial intelligence (AI), equipped with consciousness and emotions, penetrates every corner of society. That is the core plot of Director Kim Il-dong’s film 'I'm Popo', set to open next month on the 21st. The premise itself may feel familiar, but there’s a separate reason this work has drawn attention. It’s the first domestic feature film where every scene in the movie was created with generative AI.

In the film, the robot dogs and the characters taking walks, as well as an anchor presenting the news—every character’s appearance and movements are the result of AI. AI handled the entire set of visual elements, excluding the voice acting by professional voice actors and Director Kim’s script. While it may be hard to expect video aesthetics as refined as existing commercial films, the fact that the director alone completed a feature in about two months without any actors or crew points to a revolutionary shift in how films are made.

At a recently held press conference, Director Kim said, "Through this work, I wanted to signal the opening of the one-person film era," adding, "I was able to carry out most of the tasks on my own, including the video and the script." Jeon Chan-il, film critic also said, "It will serve as an important reference point for gauging the development direction of AI films around the world, including Korea."

Overseas, things have advanced even further. In China, the film 'Soul Tide·Bu Saeng Mong', which assigned AI to handle the entire production process, is preparing for its release. From character creation and scene composition to voice synthesis, background music, and post-production—everything went through AI. The scope of generative AI has expanded to a level where human involvement is minimized.

In South Korea as well, attempts to introduce AI into commercial filmmaking are continuing. Last year, Director Kang Yoon-sung’s film 'Middle Earth' used AI to dramatically cut both time and costs in special-effects (VFX) scenes such as creature realization and building collapses. Although some have pointed out limitations—like a sense of strangeness in certain scenes—given the pace of technological development, these drawbacks are expected to be overcome quickly.

The evolution of AI technology is accelerating day by day. Director Kim described the rapidly changing technological environment by saying, "The later you learn AI, the more advantageous it is." In other words, new tools keep emerging, lowering the barriers to entering the production environment. All eyes are on how the 'one-person production era' launched by artificial intelligence will reshape the landscape of the film industry moving forward.