Korean powerhouse CJ ENM has unveiled a 100% artificial intelligence-generated animation and plans to expand to AI film and AI drama within the year.
Cat Biggie was showcased alongside CJ’s first ever AI strategy at a Culture Talk in Seoul, Korea earlier. The non-verbal short-form animation is 100% AI-generated, according to the Parasite studio.
The story follows a cat who unexpectedly meets a baby chick and becomes its father. The series consists of 30 episodes, each two minutes in length, and will be released for global audiences on YouTube in July. According to CJ, the series took a total of five months to complete, including content planning and character development, which involved a compact team of six specialists.
“The speed and scale of the project are noteworthy, given that a typical 5-minute 3D animation takes three to four months to produce,” added CJ.
That series will precede a push into AI film and AI drama, according to the studio, which is leaning into AI in a big way even as the use of the technology raises big question marks in the film and TV industry. At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, for example, protests took place outside several AI sessions due to fears over loss of labor.
CJ was bullish about use of AI and unveiled a suite of products including an IP discoverer.
“We are applying AI across the entire content value chain—including planning, production, distribution, and marketing—to expand AI content production across genres and formats,” said Shin Keun-sup, Chief Strategy Officer. “This allows us to secure next-generation IP. At the same time, we’re nurturing a new generation of creators equipped with AI technology, business, and content planning expertise, and expanding our AI team to position CJ ENM as a global AI studio.”
During the event, the company demonstrated proprietary AI production systems including Cinematic AI, which is optimized for narrative content such as drama and film, and AI Script, which is designed to help discover original IP. The latter tool analyzes consumer demand and market trends before identifying promising IP and suggesting suitable genres and media, according to the studio.
