CNA Undercover Asia 11: Copy + Paste + Steal

46min | Singapore, United States, Canada, Luxembourg, India | 2025

When visual artists discover strange copies of their work appearing online, they soon find that they have been made by AI. But how does Generative AI mimic artistic styles in photos and paintings, and why is it so controversial? While some view AI as a tool for innovation, others see it as a threat to human creativity. We uncover how AI technology learns to generate images in the blink of an eye - and how many in the creative community are now fighting back against the AI onslaught. With more and more people using Gen AI every day, our story explores the ongoing legal and ethical dilemmas in this evolving landscape.

CNA's award-winning investigative series Undercover Asia uncovers the hard truths in the underbelly of Asia, and exposes the unintended fallout of change. "Copy + Paste + Steal" aired Apr. 12, 2025 on Channel News Asia.

TEAM

Director: Robert Palumbo, Galen Yeo
Writer: Tan Wei Xin, Mickey Hiah
Co-Executive Producer: Robert Palumbo
Producer: Vanessa Chiu
Production Manager: Peter Tan, Evantheia Schibsted
Fixer: Atlantic Pictures
Director of Photography: Eric Billman (USA), Elie M. Khadra (USA), Marcelino Ortiz (USA), Bret Curry (USA), Marcelino Ortiz (USA), Gabi Kislat (Canada), Javier Torres (Luxembourg)
2nd Camera Operator: Lucinda Harstrick (USA), Scott Terranova (USA), Paul van den Boom (Canada), Shaiful Reezal (Singapore), Ismail Aswandi (Singapore), Dave Aquino (Singapore)
Sound Recordist: Brendan Reilly (USA), Richard Buonagurio (USA), Morgan Stratton (USA), Emory Murchison (Canada)
Hair & Make-up Artist: Kayla Jarzab (USA), Janine Toh (Singapore), Shermaine Mak (Singapore) 
Editor: Alviss Cheu
Graphics: Nilo Parrilla, Jeremy Reyes, Riniharlini Ibrahim
Legal Advisor: Paerin Choa
Audio Post Production: De Claffer Music Productions

Production Company: The Moving Visuals Co.
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36595125/