'He doesn't even have to go to work anymore': AI version of Calvin Chen on sales livestream baffles netizens

At first glance, you see Taiwanese singer-actor Calvin Chen eating a scrumptious pickled dish on a Douyin sales livestream.

But then the leg of a food tray placed next to him pierces straight through his right arm while he remains unfazed.

That's when viewers realise the livestream didn't feature the real Calvin but an AI-generated video of him.

In multiple posts uploaded to Weibo and Douyin by netizens last Saturday (Sept 23), a digital resemblance of the 42-year-old can be seen promoting pre-cooked dishes, including chicken feet, tripe and other pickled dishes, next to the host of the livestream.

What also clued viewers into 'Calvin' not being real was that the host did not interact with the ex-Fahrenheit member. In addition, netizens spotted a small disclaimer at the top right-hand corner of the screen which read: "This is an effect and not the real person."

On Weibo, some netizens were miffed with Calvin doing promotions using AI.

One wrote: "He doesn't even have to go to work anymore."

"Are you really that lazy that you don't even want to put in any effort to earn money anymore?" another netizen wrote.

Other netizens joked that the advancement of technology means that actors are no longer needed, saving viewers the trouble of watching "bad acting".

On Douyin, a netizen wrote: "Some people used to do fake eating on livestreams but now they don't need to eat at all."

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Some netizens offered an alternate explanation: What if it wasn't AI-generated Calvin but a pre-recorded video which was replayed during the livestream?

But no matter if it was AI-generated Calvin or pre-recorded Calvin, netizens' views were generally aligned, that it is now "easier for celebrities to make money".

One netizen wrote: "They can just sit in a villa with air conditioning and authorise the use of their faces."

"You can make money just by recording the screen," wrote another.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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