[Kim Daesik & Kim Hyeyeon's AHA] Hansangho: "Expansion of Thought by AI Will Change the Paradigm"

⑥ Han Sang-ho PD, an Experimenter Exploring the Changes of the Era

Editor's NoteAsia Economy has decided to explore, from the perspectives of engineers and artists, what changes the rapidly advancing generative AI will bring to the field of artistic creation and what 'humans' should contemplate. Accordingly, we have prepared a monthly column where Professor Kim Dae-sik of KAIST's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon (CEO of Yeonist) either hold dialogues with artists or discuss works. The title of the column, 'AHA,' stands for 'AI, Human & Art.' Through Professor Kim Dae-sik, who passionately explores the future of generative AI, and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon, who boldly integrates generative AI with dance, we hope you will take a step closer to the profound themes of AI, humans, and art.

On the 1st, a conversation is taking place at the complex cultural space Koreoground located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Han Sang-ho, a PD at the Korean Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), is not only a renowned documentary PD, animation film director, and author but also an experimenter who explores and breathes with the changes of the times. This background is closely related to his release of the new documentary "The Great India," which utilizes generative artificial intelligence (AI). For someone who seems to focus solely on distinguishing truth from falsehood and pursuing reality, what does the era of generative AI mean to him?

-You have worked on various projects such as animation and films, but I think your roots are in documentaries. How did you start with documentaries?

▲I never thought about broadcasting itself apart from documentaries. I graduated from the Department of Korean Language and Literature, and during college, I never imagined I would work in broadcasting or create videos. I chose Korean literature because I wanted to become a poet, a writer. However, I didn’t know what kind of writer I should be, and as times changed, I felt that writing alone had no future. I also graduated a bit late, and at the time of graduation, I thought about what path to take and wanted to do something creative.

Since I originally liked movies and dramas, broadcasting seemed the easiest approach. I took broadcasting station exams but didn’t do well, and my last chance was EBS. At that time, EBS was a very early-stage broadcaster, and its documentaries were not as famous as they are now. Being a small-scale broadcaster, even writers were reluctant to work there. That environment actually gave me time, and I happened to watch many BBC documentaries in the archive room at the station, which opened the path to becoming a full-fledged documentary director.

AI’s View on AI Documentaries, New Definition through 'Participatory Journalism'
Emergence of Docufiction Genre Adding Subjective Interpretation to Creative Elements

-How can documentaries be defined? (Question to ChatGPT)

▲In the past, documentaries were mainly defined as a video genre aimed at objectively recording facts and educating through them. In the early 20th century, documentaries captured events or phenomena in the real world as they were, serving as tools to convey social, political, and cultural information and educate audiences. Documentaries of this era emphasized objectivity and truthfulness, focusing on realistically reproducing reality through a recording and observational approach.

As of 2024, documentaries are being newly defined beyond simple recording or conveying facts, utilizing various media and expressive methods. Modern documentaries actively employ digital technologies such as animation, virtual reality (VR), and interactive media, extending beyond traditional video and photography. Thematically, they cover a much broader range than before, delicately conveying human emotions and experiences through stories of specific individuals or small communities. This signifies that documentaries have become a medium that illuminates human life and the complex stories within, rather than merely delivering information.

In particular, documentaries now emphasize interaction with audiences, providing more opportunities for viewers to participate in the documentary’s progress or offer opinions through digital platforms. This participatory journalism redefines the audience’s role in documentary production, allowing for more diverse voices and perspectives. While documentaries still base themselves on facts, the addition of creative elements and subjective interpretation has led to the emergence of a new docufiction genre.

This shows that documentaries not only explore truth but also contemplate how to tell the story. Thus, documentaries in 2024 expand the traditional concept in terms of media and expression methods, thematic diversity, audience interaction, and the fusion of fact and creativity, establishing themselves as powerful tools to deeply explore the complexity and multilayered reality of modern society.

An image generated by the image-creation AI DALL·E3 upon the command to "draw an AI making a documentary about India."

-Many famous scholars researching generative AI often talk about a 'world without truth and falsehood.' As a documentary director dealing with reality, what do you think about this perspective?

▲Many people seem to be pondering that point. Traditional art or creation was sustained by a few geniuses who painted or expressed something in their own way or played instruments. But now, I think it is a shocking yet positive change that the thinking behind expression has become more important than the ability to express itself. Expanding on this, I think the development is moving toward focusing on the desire to express rather than the presence or absence of truth or falsehood.

-In just a few years, many contents are created and consumed more for entertainment, even if closer to falsehood than truth. In this change, do you think documentaries will still exist 100 years from now?

▲The number of viewers watching documentaries has significantly dropped. In the past, materials that could only be seen in documentaries are now easily accessible to many people, so the 'rarity' or scarcity of the content genre has disappeared. While it should make the world wiser and better that many people can access various truths, paradoxically, the expansion of information in a world where everyone can see all facts anytime is ineffective, which is important.

The Era When the Genre Scarcity of Documentaries Disappears
'The Great India' Born by Integrating Generative AI

-Recently, you released the new documentary "The Great India" using generative AI during this time. How did you integrate generative AI into the documentary, and what role did generative AI play in it?

▲After deciding to make a documentary on India, I thought about using a format where conversations between Professor Kim Dae-sik and Professor Kang Sung-yong of Seoul National University’s Humanities Research Institute take place. I wanted to try various new attempts in the documentary, and the most novel part was using generative AI. The first integration was bringing historical figures of India, independence movement leaders, and emperors to life with AI, making them able to speak and even have conversations.

Between the documentary segments, we inserted scenes where the two sing and dance like in Bollywood films. The choreographer created the dance, and dancers performed it; only the movements were filmed and then trained on generative AI tools to create various scenes. In the past, this would have required months of choreography training and enormous effort from the performers, and sufficient budget and production time. But with just a little trial and error, we could conveniently produce results, experiencing a remarkable saving of time and energy. Above all, in terms of cost, it was about 1/100th compared to traditional CG production.

From the left, Professor Kim Dae-sik, choreographer Kim Hye-yeon, and PD Han Sang-ho. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

-Just a year ago, generative AI’s utility in video was not significant, but it seems to be advancing rapidly. As a documentary director, how do you perceive generative AI, which replaces many things, provides time efficiency, and reduces costs? And what is your biggest interest after recent generative AI documentary work?

▲While producing "The Great India" using generative AI, I always felt that the experience gained during the process expands into more thoughts. Things that were absolutely unthinkable before have now become very easy. Having worked for 10 years on CG for the film "Dinosaurs of the Korean Peninsula," I know very well how difficult technical work in video is.

For one dinosaur, there are modelers, texture artists, riggers who create bones for movement, animators, and dozens or hundreds of people working to realize a single dinosaur. Now, generative AI can create and animate a dinosaur just from prompts, which is unbelievable.

In this regard, I think generative AI will greatly impact jobs and industries. Especially, I expect the entire paradigm to change. Previously, choreography required choreographers, CG required CG experts, and films required film directors’ expertise. Now, one person can handle any task. So these days, I am thinking about new integrations and attempts using generative AI.

"Work Unthinkable in the Past Now Easily Possible"
"Generative AI Will Change Paradigms in All Areas"

-How will documentaries change in the era of generative AI? (Question to ChatGPT)

▲In the era of generative AI, documentaries are likely to transform beyond their traditional forms and functions. First, generative AI can automate many parts of documentary production. For example, AI can analyze vast data, structure stories, or automatically edit videos, significantly reducing production time. This will enable more people to participate in documentary making and accelerate the production of content covering diverse topics.

Documentaries using AI can also enhance interaction with audiences. Viewers will be able to ask questions or obtain additional information in real-time through AI while watching. Moreover, documentaries combined with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies will provide immersive experiences, making audiences feel as if they are actually inside the documentary’s situations.

Finally, new storytelling methods beyond traditional human-centered perspectives can be introduced. AI may independently produce documentaries and create original narratives based on given data. This will offer opportunities to creatively reinterpret documentary content and form. Such changes will develop documentaries into more innovative and comprehensive media while posing ethical challenges and maintaining trust in factual accuracy. Discussions will be necessary to ensure documentaries adapt to the AI era without losing their essential value.

PD Hansangho. Photo by Yojongjun

Who is Han Sang-ho PD?

A documentary PD at EBS and animation film director. Graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Korean Language and Literature and earned a master’s degree in documentary from the Royal Holloway College, UK. Directed documentaries such as Letters (2002), Microcosm (2004), and Dinosaurs of the Korean Peninsula (2008), winning awards including the Samsung Press Award, Korea PD Award, Experimental Award, and Broadcasting & Communications Award. Planned Myung-ui, Extreme Jobs, Portraits of the Times, and produced Singers, Crying and Laughing with the Times. Directed two 3D animation films Jum-bak-i, Dinosaurs of the Korean Peninsula and Lightning Man: The Beginning (2023). Actively working in documentary and film fields, author of Dinosaur Warrior Bin, Jum-bak-i, Dinosaurs of the Korean Peninsula, and The Great India.

Professor Kim Dae-sik, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KAIST

Choreographer Kim Hye-yeon (CEO of Yeonist)