AI studio CEO emphasizes human creativity as core of AI video production

A scene from The Ape Squad's ad campaign for Roborock, made by artificial intellegence (AI) / Courtesy of The Ape Squad

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) video tools race ahead, Kim Young-ki, CEO and director of Seoul-based AI studio The Ape Squad, is betting on a counterintuitive thesis: The more powerful AI becomes, the more indispensable human directors will be.

For the CEO, who also has an extensive background in traditional ad production, AI is not a shortcut to cheaper content through replacing creative labor. Rather, he views it is a tool that allows directors to implement their creative intent with greater fidelity than traditional live-action shoots.

Kim Young-ki, CEO of The Ape Squad / Courtesy of The Ape Squad

“I actually put in more of my own time when directing AI videos than when directing live-action,” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times at the studio's offices in Gangnam District, Seoul. “With AI work, I have to be involved in every single step personally, handling many parts one by one … That made us think a lot about where to find the right balance, how much is reduced and what we gain in return.”

The Ape Squad started as an AI-related R&D team at Kim’s live-action ad studio Space Monster Content. It spun off to become a separate company in 2024, operating a fully in-house AI studio, handling planning, image generation, video production and post-production under one roof.

The use of AI in advertising production can substantially reduce costs, lowering expenses to as little as one-twentieth of a comparable live-action budget, but Kim is adamant that savings should not be the end goal, and keeping the balance to about one-third to one-fifth of live-action costs.

“The key is how effectively we can reallocate those savings to enhance the work’s quality, creativity and the overall appeal of the content. We can reinvest, whether fully or partially, into more creative aspects,” he said, noting such an approach sets the studio apart from other AI studios.

He explained the studio organizes AI projects as a round-table where AI artists, technicians and directors work as one team from developing the content’s concept through the final product.

The studio garnered attention with its AI reconstruction of the K-pop duo Deux’s member Kim Sung-jae, who died shortly after his debut in the 1990s. Using images of the singer, the studio made the AI-produced music video for the duo’s new release “RISE,” marking a return after 28 years.

Unlike contemporary celebrities with vast image datasets, Kim Sung-jae presented a unique challenge.

“With famous celebrities, text-to-video is relatively easy because there are so many photos. But Kim Sung-jae passed away right after his debut, so there are no later images,” the CEO explained. “Everyone has a different memory of what he looks like … We struggled quite a bit to find the most fitting respectful and emotional point in between.”

Images of singer Lee Hyun-do, top, and late singer Lee Sung-jae, recreated by AI / Courtesy of The Ape Squad

Rather than pushing realism to its limits, the studio made a deliberate directorial choice to reveal the reconstructed face only at key moments in the beginning and the end of the video, filling in between with a half-masked face.

“At this stage, it’s inevitable that some traces of AI remain visible. So we decided to embrace it by building a story that would highlight it in the most meaningful way,” he said. “Instead of constantly exposing an imperfect face, we focused on moments that would evoke nostalgia.”

The CEO has made history by becoming the first director in Korea to win a grand prize for both live-action and AI ad campaigns at the Korea Advertising Awards. Based on his expertise in both areas, Kim sees growing potential in hybrid productions that combine live-action footage with AI-generated environments.

The studio is set to release an AI-produced anthology film "Code: G," on Dec. 24, for which it directed one of five short films that combine live-action and AI generated production.

“We’ve been thinking a lot about how this industry can remain sustainable, and as AI technology advances, what direction we should pursue. That’s why next year we plan to explore more hybrid approaches, an area we believe could become a major differentiator for us,” he said.

For Kim, the debate over AI in the creative field recalls past shifts, such as the move from film to digital, when early resistance eventually gave way to new standards as artists learned to adapt while keeping their vision.

“Rather than opposing it blindly, I think we need to focus on how to apply it effectively in our own way,” he said.