Chinese Tech Giants Launch Viral AI Tools During Lunar New Year, Including Fake Video of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise
Australian Financial Review
ENRICHED
Details
- Date Published
- 17 Feb 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- No
- Created
- 18 Feb 2026, 12:00 am
Description
Chinese tech giants are using the Lunar New Year holiday to unleash their new tools that range from stunning fake videos to sophisticated humanoid robots.
Summary
The article highlights the release of advanced AI tools by Chinese technology companies during the Lunar New Year. Among the innovations are high-quality deepfake videos, exemplified by a viral video featuring actors Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, raising concerns within the Hollywood community. The advancements in AI capability, especially in producing realistic deepfakes, underscore potential risks related to misinformation and digital privacy. Although the article explores forward-looking technology developments, it lacks a direct focus on global AI governance or safety frameworks, illustrating the significance of such tools in a cultural context rather than a regulatory or risk mitigation perspective.
Body
WorldAsiaFuture technologyPrint articleJessica SierNorth Asia correspondentUpdated Feb 18, 2026 – 10.25am, first published at 10.01amTokyo | As fireworks exploded over China this week and millions of families gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year, China’s top technology firms launched their own kind of spectacle: a blitz of new AI tools designed to go viral over the country’s biggest holiday period.Since Monday, social media feeds have been filled with stunningly realistic video clips of Brad Pitt trading punches with Tom Cruise in neon-lit alleyways and cute Japanese otaku girls outplaying LeBron James on a basketball court.Loading...Jessica Sier is the North Asia Correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. She is based in Tokyo, Japan. Jessica has previously written on technology, global capital markets and economics. Connect with Jessica on Twitter. Email Jessica at jessica.sier@afr.comSaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreFuture technologyLunar New YearChinaXi JinpingAITikTokRobotsFetching latest articles