Tsui Hark at Lumière Festival: AI Blurs the Line Between Reality and Illusion

At the Lumière Festival in Lyon on October 12, director Tsui Hark discussed AI's impact on perception during a masterclass. He said that as AI enters the cultural sphere, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to verify the authenticity of what they see.

Tsui noted that advertising, the internet, and AI together are blurring the boundary between reality and illusion. With more sources and faster dissemination, content is easier to shape and harder to trace back to its origin. He also expressed concern over the uncertainty brought by AI, saying that when images, videos, and text can all be generated or altered by technology, audiences may struggle to determine whether content reflects real events.

Tsui linked AI to questions of identity, suggesting that the prevalence of AI could further shape how people understand themselves and the world around them.

The festival is screening four of Tsui Hark's classic films in a retrospective: Shanghai Blues (1984), Peking Opera Blues (1986), Once Upon a Time in China (1991), and Time and Tide (2000).