'How did he become so ugly?' Ex-Mediacorp star Dai Xiangyu replaces disgraced actor using AI technology, netizens unimpressed

Deepfake technology can be scary sometimes, especially when used for nefarious purposes.

But what about using AI for good?

That's what the creators of Chinese drama A Date With The Future likely intended to do, when they set about replacing two disgraced actors — Wang Dong and Xu Kaicheng — with former Mediacorp leading man Dai Xiangyu and Chinese actor Wang Zirui respectively.

But whether the results are convincing is still up for debate.

Last August, Kaicheng was accused of cheating by his ex-girlfriend, Chinese actress Crystal Zhang, while Wang Dong was accused of domestic violence by his non-celebrity wife the same month.

The filming for A Date With The Future was completed last year, with promotional posters featuring Kaicheng and Wang Dong released. Instead of their scenes being reshot with Xiangyu and Zirui, their faces were swapped with those of the latter using AI.

One fan on Twitter shared stills of the original actors and their replacements, noting: "Damn, this AI swap."

"The AI is smooth," a response read.

damn this AI swap 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/LSB9okzOFS

— ella • (@lycheefrost) June 4, 2023

However, some fans of Xiangyu, 38, thought he was done dirty as only his face was used, while the hair and body remained that of Wang Dong's.

"Can I say that Dai Xiangyu looks uglier after he replaced Wang Dong's face?" one netizen shared on Weibo. "He is so tall and good looking in real life, but with the replacement he looks short and fat."

Another did not mince their words in the comments: "I was wondering, if that was really him, how did he become so ugly?"

"I was wondering why it looked so weird when I watched the drama," one comment on Douyin read. "It looked like Dai Xiangyu but also not — his neck is too short."

"He does not suit this hairstyle," another read.

While some complained, others didn't seem to realise Wang Dong was replaced at all.

One comment on Weibo read: "Why does he look so much like Dai Xiangyu?"

"It is actually him," a response read, followed by laughing emojis.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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