Recently, the short video industry has been hit by a controversy over AI infringement. The work "The Peach Hairpin" under Red Fruit Short Drama was accused of using AI technology to "steal faces" of ordinary people without permission, causing public attention. The incident started when a social media user claimed that their personal photo was used in AI content generation without authorization.

Comparative data shows that the costumes, makeup, accessories, and physical features of the characters in the drama highly match the victim's photo. Additionally, since the characters were portrayed as negative figures, it further intensified the dispute over the infringement of portrait rights and reputation rights.

This is not an isolated case. With the use of generative AI in micro-short drama production leading to cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, the unauthorized use of portraits has become a long-standing problem in the industry. Surveys show that many top celebrities, including Xiao Zhan, Dilraba Dilmet, Zhang Ruoyun, and Jing Tian, have become victims of "AI face swapping" short videos. Although AI technology can significantly improve production efficiency and lower the barrier to entry, the lack of copyright in the process of material acquisition and model training has led to doubts about "destructive innovation."

As of now, Red Fruit Short Drama has not made any public response. This incident highlights the legal blind spots in the application of generative AI in the content industry: when the pace of technological advancement exceeds the speed of regulation, the protection of rights for ordinary people and celebrities is facing new challenges in the cyber age.

Industry experts believe that only with clear compliance, authorization, and transparency mechanisms can AI truly transform from an "infringing tool" into a productivity engine for the content industry. This controversy may drive the industry to accelerate the establishment of a tracing and review system for the sources of generative AI materials.