GENERATING CONTROVERSY

How a video studio embraced Al and stormed the internet

- STUART A. THOMPSON

US President Donald Trump leans forward in a limousine, takes a long puff from a cigarette and flashes a wide grin. An aggressive rap song blasts over the stereo as a group of young women bob around him.

No one would mistake the otherworldly scene for reality — and they shouldn't, because it was made by artificial intelligence. Yet it caused a stir when it was released online last year, skewering Trump, former vice-president Kamala Harris and others using lifelike AI replicas, soaring to more than 16 million views on YouTube.

It was the biggest hit yet by the Dor Brothers, a video production studio that has gained notoriety online — along with more than 100 million views across platforms — by fully embracing AI.

The studio is now among the most popular Al-powered artists on the internet for its roster of subversive videos released on YouTube and then circulated rapidly across social media, which are made entirely by AI tools. It said its revenue crossed US$1 million (32.25 million baht) last year for its commercial projects, including consulting work for brands that are increasingly curious about AI. Joe Rogan, the world’s most popular podcaster, called the studio's work “incredible”.

Its videos have attracted plenty of criticism, too, with some viewers dismissing the work as “AI slop”. Rival AI studios have made work with clearer commercial appeal — like one studio that made a Toys “R” Us commercial last year — while others have made short films that rival Hollywood productions, including a gripping retelling of a Ukrainian drone strike that Variety compared to Mission: Impossible.