Fan Bingbing has shared her thoughts on artificial intelligence in filmmaking, saying the performances of Jeon Do Yeon and Sol Kyung Gu in Possible Love reminded her why she does not believe AI can replace human actors.
The Chinese actress discussed the topic during a press conference at the 31st Busan International Film Festival on October 7.
Fan Bingbing said she recently watched director Lee Chang Dong's Possible Love at the Toronto International Film Festival and was deeply impressed by the natural performances in the movie.
“It was really good, and it gave me a new kind of shock,” she said. “The actors felt so natural that it was almost as if they were freely swimming inside the film.”
She later connected that experience to the growing use of AI in entertainment.
Fan Bingbing acknowledged that artificial intelligence is developing quickly and is already being used in areas such as short-form dramas in China. However, she said many AI-generated productions currently feel repetitive to her, particularly in the way faces and characters are presented.
“Whether you watch one or several, the styles may change, but the actors can feel similar, and sometimes their faces do not remain in your memory,” she explained.
While she noted that AI technology could continue improving, Fan Bingbing said she does not currently believe it can reproduce what human actors bring to a performance.
“I don't think short-form content or AI can replace actors,” she said. “The emotions that come from a person acting, the way those emotions are delivered, and the experience and skills accumulated through real life are areas that AI cannot replace.”
She again pointed to Possible Love as an example.
“When I watched that film, I thought, ‘That kind of acting could never be replaced by AI.’ It was very powerful, and it made me feel the strength an actor can have once again.”
Fan Bingbing also spoke positively about Korean cinema, praising its actors and directors for their international perspective, freedom of expression, and ability to work across different genres.
For the actress, advances in AI may continue changing the entertainment industry, but performances such as those delivered by Jeon Do Yeon and Sol Kyung Gu show why she believes human emotion and lived experience remain difficult for technology to reproduce.
