Kim Sung-soo Says AI Filmmaking Still Needs Human Craft

South Korean director Kim Sung-soo says generative AI has changed how he plans films, but not the creative judgment required to make them cinematic. Speaking at the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan, the 12.12: The Day filmmaker described a hybrid workflow that uses AI as one production tool rather than a replacement for an experienced crew.

‘Worm Train’ changed the director’s view

Kim once feared that AI would damage the film industry. His position shifted while developing Worm Train, an eight-minute short inspired by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. An early version stalled because available tools could not convincingly create a crucial collision between a giant insect and passengers on a crowded train. Months later, improved technology made the sequence possible.

The finished process was not automated from end to end. Kim assembled a nine-person group that included an animation art director and music director. The team generated only part of the short with AI and completed the rest through conventional production methods. Kim said the experience expanded what he could visualize while reinforcing the value of human choices.

AI becomes part of a larger production plan

Kim is applying the same model to a seven-part drama now in development. A chase on the Gyeongin Expressway, expected to run for nearly 15 minutes, would be extremely expensive to stage entirely through live production. His team plans to generate the sequence first, then use that version to decide which shots need actors, physical photography or traditional visual effects.

Other panelists emphasized similar limits. MooAm chief Harry Hyun argued that easy access to the same tools can produce repetitive faces, lighting and sets unless directors, cinematographers and art departments shape the results. Chinese animation director Li Wei said rapid generation is useful for testing ideas and gathering crew feedback while developing the 105-minute feature Born of the Tide.

MBC C&I producer Lee Sangwook described a new role, the AI coordinator, who tracks generated shots and continuity. His lab is producing Rendering Love, a short-form romantic comedy that combines live-action scenes with AI-generated virtual K-pop idols.

Kim also warned that questions about commercial permission, intellectual property and publicity rights must be addressed alongside technical development. His central argument was less about replacing a film set than reorganizing it: faster visualization may widen the options, but experts still decide which images serve the story and which should never reach the screen.