Representatives from Alibaba Token Hub, Sonilo, and PROMPTR joined film educator Barry Dignam for a discussion on the creative and economic implications of AI in filmmaking during a TapNow-hosted panel at the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Production Bridge.
The session, titled “AI x Cinema: The 10,000 Parallel Universes Initiative,” took place at the Hotel Excelsior and was co-hosted with event organizer Dogme23. Sabrina Qin, brand lead at TapNow, moderated the conversation. TapNow is an AI creative platform developed by California-based Tamar AI, which also operates the AI-native streaming service Glanze TV.
Panelists included Tianshu Zhu, head of global AI product solutions at Alibaba Token Hub; Dignam, vice dean of FilmEU at IADT and chair of the CILECT European chapter; Ben Chimoy, GenAI director at PROMPTR and founder of AI Filmmakers Berlin; and Shawn Song, co-founder and CEO of Sonilo, who previously led audio research at TikTok.
Chimoy, who spent 15 years in traditional filmmaking before transitioning to AI video, shared that his shift began while producing fashion films for Zalando. He noted that a client preferred an AI-generated version of a project over the final produced film because it felt more emotional—an unexpected reaction given AI’s reputation for lacking emotion.
“For me, AI is actually connecting people, bringing us into the same room to create together,” Chimoy said.
Dignam, representing FilmEU’s network of 50 European film schools, argued that AI raises the stakes for film education rather than diminishing them. He suggested that schools should not attempt to teach every new tool, as the technology evolves faster than curricula can be updated.
“I do think we need to teach critical thinking and core values around craft and practice,” Dignam said. “AI is not a shortcut to becoming a filmmaker. You still have to do the work.”
Zhu highlighted HappyHorse, the AI video generation model built by Alibaba Token Hub, noting it is designed to address budget and resource constraints rather than a lack of compelling stories. The tool focuses on pre-production tasks such as storyboarding, 3D character placement, and previsualization.
“I really resonated with you that filmmaking is never lacking a good story; it’s the budget, the resources, and obstacles, the languages that’s turning into real challenges,” Zhu said. He added that Alibaba Token Hub plans to launch HappyHorse 2.0 and a companion tool called HappyHorse Control, described as a “world model” enabling real-time interaction, by the end of September.
Song discussed Sonilo’s licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony Music, which he said provide commercial users with confidence to use the company’s AI-generated music without publishing disputes. Revenue is shared among the publisher, label company, and creator.
“Not every song is a masterpiece. But every song represents someone’s time, effort, and dedication,” Song said.
During the event, TapNow introduced its Creator Growth Plan, offering three tiers of entry. The Experimental Creator tier allows participants to publish qualifying work on Tap TV, gaining exposure in more than 100 countries and access to unlimited open compute. The Selected Creator tier requires submitting a portfolio or social media channel for review. The Signed Creator tier is invitation-only, requiring a referral from an existing signed creator, and includes a guaranteed monthly minimum along with free compute and priority technical support.
The panel concluded with a technical presentation on “Primodia,” an S-level flagship series in TapNow’s “10,000 Parallel Universes” initiative. Directed by Haonan Liu and Yuhang Qiao, the project features first-time AI directors who had studied AI filmmaking for less than a year. Presenters noted that TapNow’s tools were used for early concept art and that its Creative OS agent generated video content directly through the platform.
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