Chinese actor earns $11K by mimicking AI videos better than AI

Chinese actor Tianran Mu has gained international viral fame for his uncannily accurate imitations of AI-generated videos, fooling millions of viewers who believed his human performances were machine-created. His success highlights the peculiar cultural moment where human creativity is measured by how well it can mimic artificial intelligence, while also raising questions about AI’s impact on traditional acting careers.

What you should know: Mu’s viral video featuring a robotic tango dance routine garnered over 11 million views on X alone, with the creator initially unaware of his global reach.

• The 29-year-old actor meticulously studied AI-generated content to replicate common flaws like wandering gazes, timeline inconsistencies, and unnatural facial expressions.
• His work earned him an 80,000 RMB ($11,000) sponsorship deal with a Chinese AI company, though he preferred the human-only version of his sponsored content over the AI-enhanced version.
• Mu has no presence on international social platforms where his content went viral, learning about his global fame only through media interviews.

How he perfects the AI aesthetic: Mu identified specific patterns in AI-generated videos that he deliberately recreates in his human performances.

• He mimics AI’s tendency to misunderstand object purposes, like in a sketch where a disciplinary hanger suddenly becomes a clothes hanger mid-scene.
• His videos feature intentional continuity errors, including using different actors to play the same character within a single scene.
• The “empty focus” in his eyes replicates AI’s wandering gaze: “When I’m talking to you, I might actually be looking at someone else,” Mu explains.

The evolving challenge: Mu’s latest work parodies OpenAI’s Sora video generator, but he finds newer AI models increasingly difficult to satirize due to their improved quality.

• Sora-generated videos still exhibit telltale signs like exaggerated laughter and frantically shaking hair, which Mu incorporates into his performances.
• He predicts that within a year, AI video quality may become so sophisticated that human parody becomes impossible: “If I try to act it, I’d just be acting like a human.”

What he’s saying about AI’s impact: Despite his videos reassuring viewers about human creativity, Mu expresses genuine concern about AI’s threat to acting careers.

• “That kind of feels like it’s starting to steal jobs from human actors, doesn’t it?” he says about his AI company sponsorship experience.
• As both director and actor, he sees AI transforming moviemaking within two years while personally struggling to find traditional acting roles.
• “We’re poking fun at some of AI’s flaws, its eeriness and absurdity, but the AI creators are probably improving those, too.”

His bigger ambitions: Beyond viral fame, Mu maintains serious acting aspirations, with his WeChat avatar featuring an Oscar trophy replica.

• He deliberately avoids using AI-generated footage in his personal content to showcase human acting skills.
• His ultimate goal remains writing, directing, and starring in his own award-winning film.
• The perpetual battle he describes isn’t “man versus machine” but rather humans competing against other humans who create AI models.