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Kuaishou Cracks Down on AI-Modified Videos: 2,544 Removed in September

Kuaishou Cracks Down on AI-Modified Videos

On October 8, Kuaishou's Security Center announced a special governance notice targeting "AI-modified" videos. The platform removed 2,544 pieces of illegal content in September alone. The crackdown focuses on unauthorized alterations of classic film characters—particularly from Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber—often paired with popular game characters in romantic or cross-time scenarios.

What Sparked the Crackdown?

Recently, AI-generated videos featuring跨界 pairings like the "Saint Dai CP"—Sun Wukong from the 1986 Journey to the West and Lin Daiyu from the 1987 Dream of the Red Chamber—went viral. While entertaining, many of these videos crossed lines into vulgarity, and some even contained indecent or violent content. This raised concerns about how such portrayals affect young people's understanding of history and culture.

Regulatory Pressure Mounts

The governance action aligns with broader regulatory requirements. By December 2025, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television had already deployed a special campaign against "AI-modified" videos. The administration explicitly warned that cultural appropriation and alterations based on the Four Great Classical Novels could lead to misidentification of cultural symbols and challenge cultural identity.

Beyond cultural concerns, AI derivative works that directly use film materials, character images, and voices face multiple legal risks—including copyright infringement, right of portrait, and protection of the integrity of the work.

The Challenge Ahead

As AI generation technology has significantly lowered the threshold for image creation, the "modified" phenomenon is unlikely to disappear soon. How to curb unbounded growth while protecting legitimate secondary creation, and promote governance towards refinement and standardization, has become a key issue for the healthy development of the AI-generated content (AIGC) industry.

Key Points:

  • Kuaishou removed 2,544 illegal AI-modified videos in September.
  • Focus on unauthorized alterations of classic characters from Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber.
  • Regulatory pressure from the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television.
  • Legal risks include copyright, portrait rights, and work integrity.
  • Balancing creative freedom with cultural respect remains a challenge for the AIGC industry.