Ha Jung-woo, Vice Chair of National AI Strategy Committee, Praises ‘Stilray’ at Insight Talk

〈Stilray〉 is a 90-minute robot sci-fi film made entirely with AI. It is not a film that merely used AI in part; it is a feature-length production created with AI tools from planning and video production through postproduction. One day, an autonomous prediction system activates on the main server of AETERN, an AI robotics company. The AI, now capable of making its own decisions, identifies humanity as a threat to the future and decides to eliminate it. Using the humanoid AIRA-3, the AI abducts and imprisons Dr. Yoon, who developed it, along with his fellow researchers. It then steals the “Code Zero” virus and launches a plan to bring about the end of humanity. Yoon Kang, who sets out to find his kidnapped father, discovers a mysterious combat robot, Stilray, in Dr. Yoon’s secret laboratory. After climbing aboard Stilray, Yoon Kang joins Shadow, a special operations unit, in a mission to rescue the hostages and stop the virus. But AETERN’s AI also upgrades AIRA-3 for combat in response to the human counterattack and develops another secret weapon. Will Yoon Kang find his father and save humanity from the virus?

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Stilray, a sci-fi action film about a man who dons the AI he created and the combat suit his father discarded to take on the deadliest virus and save humanity from a rogue AI, successfully concluded a blind screening and insight talk Sept. 7 (Monday) at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall ahead of its theatrical release in October. The insight talk brought together Ha Jung-woo, standing vice chair of the National AI Strategy Committee; director Seol Woo-in; Ham Seul-gi, CEO of co-producer Ainos Studio Co., Ltd.; team leader Kang Tae-kyung; assistant director Won Kyung-hye; and team leader Oh Se-eun for an in-depth discussion of the film’s production and the AI movie industry.

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Ha Jung-woo explained why he attended the Stilray screening and insight talk, saying, “Artificial intelligence is changing a great many things. As video AI technology advances rapidly, the content industry will change as well. K-films and K-dramas are also quite competitive, so I was curious to see how far this technology could go. I was appointed last week, and I felt the need to develop a precise understanding of AI-based creative work and content going forward. That is why I came here to hear directly from AI filmmakers.” Reflecting on Stilray, he said, “I was surprised and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was truly impressive, and I want to say once again that they did an incredible job. I came away feeling that we need to take much more active steps to lead the world as a cultural powerhouse in the AI era. Stilray confirmed that possibility for me, and I believe we need to accurately understand the voices of people working in the field to make it happen. Going forward, I will work with relevant government agencies, listen to people in the field and seek ways to make improvements.” He gave the AI film a positive review and pledged to seek government-level measures to improve the ecosystem for AI creators.

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Ham Seul-gi, CEO of co-producer Ainos Studio, said the team’s top priorities in production were “first, the new experience we could offer audiences, because Stilray is the first 90-minute AI feature film. The second was maintaining a narrative that could carry a full 90 minutes. At the time of production, we could create only up to 15 seconds per shot, so we edited 13,000 pieces of footage to make a 90-minute film. The most important and challenging part was figuring out how to assemble the video and maintain the narrative across tens of thousands of shots.” Ham added, “The goal was to meet audiences, establish a case in the market and create an opportunity. I Am Popo is shorter than Stilray at 64 minutes, while The Middle Realm is an example of a production that used AI only in part. With Stilray, we wanted to prove that AI could sustain a feature-length film of 90 minutes. That was our biggest objective.” The comments underscored how Stilray differs from earlier AI films and raised expectations for feature-length AI movies of 90 minutes or more to be shown in theaters.

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Director Seol Woo-in said the most difficult aspect was the uncertainty surrounding production conditions. “Because generative AI tools are services based overseas, production schedules and budgets are heavily affected by tool updates and changes in credit policies. As a creator, I felt the need to consider how to respond when working under these circumstances,” Seol said, revealing the challenges behind the film’s creation amid the realities of the AI creative ecosystem. Reflecting on the production, Seol said, “This is a project to which we truly gave our all. I hope audiences will view it kindly. I plan to continue working as an actor, and I want to take an active role in expanding the use of AI across the media content industry and various other fields.” Seol expressed affection for Stilray, which the team made with every effort, as well as ambitions as both an actor and an AI creator.

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Kang Tae-kyung, a team leader at co-producer Ainos Studio, discussed his previous work as an actor. “I had worked as an actor, but I did not have much stage experience. I wanted to act so badly that I decided to make a film myself. I thought AI was the most accessible way for us to do that, and as an engineering graduate, I found it somewhat easier to approach. I also acted in Stilray, playing the role of Ara. I cannot say that AI will necessarily replace actors, but I realized it could serve as a creative tool that connects with actors and allows them to express themselves.” Asked how the team addressed copyright issues during the AI creation process, team leader Oh Se-eun said, “Copyright is something we pay very close attention to throughout production. We conduct internal checks during the process, but if clear methods or standards were established for definitive verification, creators could work with greater peace of mind.” Oh stressed the need for institutional standards governing AI creation.

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Assistant director Won Kyung-hye, who holds a doctorate in genomic data, described her unusual path into filmmaking. “While studying web development, I encountered machine learning and generative AI and became interested in the possibility of expressing my own experiences and emotions. That led me to begin creating with AI, and I have now left research to devote myself to creative work. I think of AI as a new language for expressing my stories,” she said, explaining what drew her to the film and expressing a positive view of AI as a tool that makes creative work accessible to everyone. Stilray, which successfully wrapped its blind screening and insight talk, is scheduled for a nationwide theatrical release in October 2026.