TCLtv is streaming AI-generated short films — watch them here

TCL’s recent release of five AI-generated short films on its TCLtv Plus streaming platform provides a stark illustration of both the current capabilities and limitations of AI-generated video content.

Overview of the initiative: TCL’s experimental venture into AI-generated content through five distinct short films spans multiple genres, from comedy to science fiction, revealing the current state of AI video generation technology.

• The films represent various storytelling approaches, including futuristic narratives, superhero-style content, docufiction, comedy, and psychological horror
• Each film serves as a test case for different aspects of AI video generation capabilities
• The content is exclusively available on TCL’s streaming platform, TCLtv Plus

Technical limitations: The AI-generated content exhibits significant technical shortcomings that impact the viewing experience.

• Characters frequently display animation issues, including non-synchronized mouth movements during dialogue
• Facial expressions appear unnatural and often feature distracting vibrating animations
• Scene transitions and narrative flow suffer from consistency problems
• Voice acting quality varies considerably, often detracting from the intended emotional impact

Content analysis: The films demonstrate varying levels of narrative coherence and entertainment value, with quality ranging from marginally acceptable to deeply problematic.

• “Sun Day,” the most successful attempt, tells a science fiction story about a girl’s quest to see the sun on a planet with rare solar appearances
• “Project Nexus” adopts a familiar superhero narrative structure but struggles with execution
• “The Best Day of My Life” attempts a documentary style but falls short in emotional authenticity
• “The Audition” and “The Slug” represent the lower end of the quality spectrum, with particularly problematic visual and narrative elements

Industry implications: The release of these films provides valuable insights into the current state of AI video generation technology.

• The varying quality levels across different genres help identify where AI video generation currently excels and where it needs improvement
• These examples demonstrate that while AI can generate video content, it still cannot match human-created content in terms of quality and coherence
• The experiment highlights the significant technical hurdles that remain before AI-generated video content can achieve mainstream acceptance

Looking ahead: While these films demonstrate ambitious attempts at AI-generated content, they also serve as clear indicators of the substantial development needed before AI video generation can meet professional production standards.