{"id":6550,"date":"2026-04-24T03:05:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T03:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=6550"},"modified":"2026-04-24T03:05:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T03:05:22","slug":"clearly-me-ai-drama-accused-of-stealing-faces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=6550","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Clearly me&#8217;: AI drama accused of stealing faces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><small>This photo illustration taken in Hong Kong shows phones displaying screenshots of a video from Chinese model and influencer Christine Li accusing an AI microdrama of stealing her likeness without consent &#8211; Copyright AFP Mahmoud RIZK<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Sophia Xu and Purple Romero<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Christine Li is a model and influencer, but not an actor, so when she saw herself playing a cruel character in a Chinese microdrama she felt bewildered, then angry and afraid.<\/p>\n<p>The 26-year-old is one of two people who told AFP their likenesses were cast without consent in the AI-generated show \u201cThe Peach Blossom Hairpin\u201d, which ran on Hongguo, a major microdrama app owned by Tiktok parent company ByteDance.<\/p>\n<p>Li plans to sue the drama makers and the platform, highlighting new legal and regulatory grey areas created by artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was genuinely shocked. It was clearly me,\u201d said Li, who lives in Hangzhou in eastern China.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was so obvious that they used a specific set of photos I took two years ago\u201d and had posted on social media, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Microdramas are ultra-short, online soap operas\u00a0hugely popular in China and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>When Li\u2019s fans alerted her to the series, she was horrified to find her digital twin shown slapping women and mistreating animals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also felt a deep fear. I kept wondering what kind of person would do something like this,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n<p>Hongguo hosts thousands of free, bite-sized shows \u2014 both live-action and AI-generated \u2014 whose episodes are two or three minutes long.<\/p>\n<p>As of October, the platform had around 245 million monthly active users, according to data cited by Wenwen Han, president of the Short Drama Alliance.<\/p>\n<p>A Hongguo statement in early April said it had taken the series down because the producers had violated platform rules and contractual obligations.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u2018Sleazy\u2019 antagonist \u2013<\/p>\n<p>AI\u2019s ability to mimic real people has sparked global concern for actors\u2019 jobs, and over such deepfakes being used for scams and propaganda.<\/p>\n<p>Li and a man who says he was portrayed as her AI husband in the series, which became a hit last month on Hongguo, spoke out online about their separate unwelcome discoveries.<\/p>\n<p>But even as their stories sparked a public outcry about AI ethics, AFP saw that \u201cThe Peach Blossom Hairpin\u201d kept running for days before its removal, with the disputed characters quietly replaced.<\/p>\n<p>The man, a stylist specialised in traditional Chinese clothing and make-up, had posted photos of himself in costume on the Instagram-like Xiaohongshu app.<\/p>\n<p>Like Li, he was upset by the \u201cugly\u201d portrayal of his likeness as a \u201csleazy\u201d antagonist in the show.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill it have an impact on me, on my job, on my future work opportunities?\u201d said the man, who asked to use the pseudonym Baicai.<\/p>\n<p>To keep audiences hooked, microdramas are often full of shocking, larger-than-life moments.<\/p>\n<p>Li and Baicai both showed AFP their original photos and the characters in \u201cThe Peach Blossom Hairpin\u201d, which bore a strong resemblance.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Legal risk \u2013<\/p>\n<p>For low-budget AI microdramas, Chinese regulations say platforms must be the primary checkpoint for potentially dodgy content.<\/p>\n<p>If they do not carry out mandatory content reviews, the videos will be forcibly taken down, according to the National Radio and Television Administration.<\/p>\n<p>If the platforms were aware of any infringement but failed to act on it, parties affected can alert China\u2019s cyberspace authorities which can impose administrative penalties, according to Zhao Zhanling, a partner at Beijing Javy Law Firm.<\/p>\n<p>Hongguo said in a second statement this month it would continue to strengthen how it reviews content and how it authorises creators, among other steps.<\/p>\n<p>It said it had dealt with 670 AI microdramas that violated regulations, with most taken down, and warned it would crack down on repeated breaches.<\/p>\n<p>When approached for comment, parent company Bytedance referred AFP to the two Hongguo statements.<\/p>\n<p>Li and Baicai say they need more information from Hongguo to confirm the identity of the drama\u2019s creator \u2014 with two companies potential candidates.<\/p>\n<p>One is linked to a verified account on the Chinese version of TikTok that also published the series. Another is listed as the drama\u2019s producer on an official Chinese filing system.<\/p>\n<p>AFP contacted both firms but received no response.<\/p>\n<p>Using AI to slash costs may be tempting in the fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar microdrama market.<\/p>\n<p>But featuring someone in a demeaning way without permission \u201cmay constitute an infringement of both portrait rights and reputation rights\u201d, said Li\u2019s lawyer Yijie Zhao, from Henan\u00a0Huailv\u00a0Law Firm.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u2018Associated with controversy\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n<p>National regulations require microdrama makers to register to obtain a licence \u2014 a step made mandatory for AI-generated animations from this month.<\/p>\n<p>But producers could remain in the shadows by registering temporary outfits, Zhao said, while some allegedly use overseas servers to hide.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, a Beijing court ordered a company to apologise and pay compensation to a celebrity after its AI software enabled users to produce a virtual persona using his photos and name that could exchange intimate messages.<\/p>\n<p>But lawyers told AFP that compensation for plaintiffs like Li likely won\u2019t amount to much due to the limited commercial value of an ordinary likeness.<\/p>\n<p>Li worries that the saga may cost her opportunities in the modelling industry, as she is now \u201cassociated with controversy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Baicai has not launched legal action, but hopes to see more measures from regulators and platforms to protect people like him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are probably plenty of cases with unknown victims,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> &#8216;Clearly me&#8217;: AI drama accused of stealing faces<br \/>\n<br \/>#drama #accused #stealing #faces<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This photo illustration taken in Hong Kong shows phones displaying screenshots of a video from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[637,7383,3787,3408],"class_list":["post-6550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-accused","tag-drama","tag-faces","tag-stealing"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8cd9614d17b8441cc4ce3d2a25be85cfc0b2762e-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}