I Went to the Premiere of the First Commercially Streaming AI-Generated Movies

TCL, a major TV manufacturer, is airing five AI-generated short films on its free, ad-supported TCL+ streaming service starting December 12, part of a pilot meant to normalize AI movies for an audience it plans to monetize with targeted advertising. At a screening at the Chinese Theater, TCL executive Catherine Zhang said that "Data told us that our users don't want to work that hard" and that "Half of them don't even change the channel." The author describes the films as technically impressive but marked by unnatural faces, poor lip-syncing, and continuity errors, which directors called creative choices. Chris Regina, TCL's chief content officer for North America, said continuity errors also occur in live-action productions.