Black technology: a super empire spanning two worlds

Chapter 381 [The Excited Shi Hongtai]

Those computing power providers are scrambling to connect to the AI ​​Xiaojing platform. Before Lingjing Technology could even negotiate a lower price, the providers started rolling in their own pockets.

Because once you connect to this platform, it means you have access to an entry point that currently has nearly 5 million users and could reach 10 billion users in the future.

Even if prices drop significantly and profit margins decrease, the sheer size of the business means the final total absolute profit will only be greater.

This shows that, on the one hand, the commission is lower, only 5%, and on the other hand, there is bargaining power on the supply side. Ultimately, this means that consumers spend less money.

Users who purchase computing power directly from computing power service providers do not have the strong bargaining power that Lingjing Technology possesses.

Charging only about 5% in total for technical services and channel fees is absolutely fair. If it were the boss of a certain group, he would definitely take 30% or 40% plus big data price discrimination.

Customers who need this computing power are definitely looking for productivity tools and want to make money by creating content. So they still have to pay this money. The platform is a monopoly, and even though it takes a 30% cut, they still have to pay it while complaining.

They might even deliberately lower the basic computing power provided by the platform, forcing users to pay extra.

The basic computing power provided by the AI ​​Xiaojing platform is sufficient for producing short videos of less than 1 minute or 10 to 20 minutes in length. If you're not in a rush to achieve high efficiency, spending a little more time is perfectly adequate, and there's no need to purchase additional computing resources.

Of course, it's a different story for users who don't mind spending money.

Only creative groups with teams and studios that produce cinematic-length video content and rely on this productivity tool will pursue production efficiency and require additional computing power.

In order to achieve the best possible quality, a 2-hour movie may require generating hundreds or even two hundred hours of sample footage during production before finally editing it into a 2-hour feature film for release. This obviously requires even more additional computing power resources.

These independent producers and small-to-medium-sized studio teams are the main customers who purchase computing power services.

Under normal circumstances, the basic computing power provided by the platform is sufficient for creators who only pay the 198 yuan monthly fee package; creators who purchase the 1980 yuan monthly fee package will have some additional computing power needs, but not too much.

……

As time went on, Shi Hongtai waited for about 17 minutes before a steampunk-style video he was working on was generated.

The video is shown to be 1 minute and 39 seconds long, which is a short video, as the text description provided is not much and a little over a minute is sufficient to show the content.

With these three simple steps, the video is generated, and users can simply download and export it.

It's easy to use because it's that simple; anyone who knows how to use the internet can easily get started.

Of course, this is just a sample video. If you want to go further, you can directly edit it in post-production without having to download the "CapCut" software. The AI ​​Xiaojing platform has built-in editing tools that are just as good as CapCut, and the key is that all the post-production editing tools are free to use.

While the basic functions of the CapCut software are free, advanced features require payment.

"Wow! The picture quality is really 8K level, and the special effects are on par with top Hollywood blockbusters." Shi Hongtai clicked to play the video he generated, and was immediately shocked after watching it.

The special effects are slightly inferior to those of Hollywood blockbusters like Avatar 2: The Way of Water, which represent the pinnacle of the Hollywood film industry, but they are definitely top-tier.

In fact, AI Xiaojing can achieve the same level of quality as "Avatar 2: The Way of Water," as exemplified by the sci-fi short film released by Lingjing Technology. However, that would require the final version of the enterprise-level solution. But for small and medium-sized studios and independent producers, the visual effects of the third-tier personal version are more than sufficient, comparable to top-tier Hollywood productions—something they wouldn't have even dared to dream of before.

If the steampunk-style video generated by Shi Hongtai were to be made into a movie with the same level of special effects, following the traditional film industry approach, such a top-tier special effects blockbuster would require a production cost of $1 million to $1.5 million.

However, with the assistance of AI-powered production tools, the production cost can now be achieved for a maximum of 500 million RMB, a difference of more than 200 times.

Moreover, traditional film production typically takes about a year to complete the production cycle of a movie, which is considered fast; most of the time, it takes two to three years.

If the current AI assistant is used, the production cycle can be shortened to three months. With sufficient budget, it can be shortened by another month, and the film can be completed in about two months. The production efficiency completely surpasses the traditional production model.

"This tool is absolutely amazing!" Shi Hongtai exclaimed excitedly. The final product far exceeded his expectations. He couldn't help but add, "Lingjing Technology didn't exaggerate in its advertising. 2025 will definitely be a new era that redefines the film and television industry."

Next, Shi Hongtai began to learn more about the tool. After the video was generated, if he was not satisfied, he could redo it.

For example, if you are not satisfied with the shot or lighting effect at the XX second of the video, and need to make minor adjustments to this part of the video, you can select this part of the video and use your imagination to describe it in words.

Then, repeat the "three-step" process to regenerate, and the adjustment will be completed.

In addition, there is higher generation efficiency. If the video is too long, for example, the whole video is 20 minutes long, but the adjustment requirement is only a few seconds of the segment, the user does not need to import the whole video and regenerate it, which would be time-consuming. If additional computing power is purchased, it is not cost-effective.

At this point, users can cut out and adjust those few seconds of footage separately, which is more efficient and saves production costs, because saving computing power means saving production costs and time.

If you only want to change the visuals of this video segment while keeping the audio unchanged, then lock the audio track; conversely, lock it.

At that moment, the young creator decisively chose to upgrade to the package, purchasing the monthly subscription tier of 1980 yuan. Upgrading to the package only required an additional payment of 1782 yuan.

He would like to subscribe to the 19.8 yuan monthly package, but his current financial situation does not support it. However, if he earns more money in the future, he will definitely upgrade the package without hesitation for the sake of productivity.

After a long time, Shi Hongtai pondered for a long time before finally making a decision. He took a deep breath and murmured, "Phew! I'll take the plunge. I might lose everything, but if I don't, I'll definitely regret it for the rest of my life..."

The AI ​​video generation tool released by Lingjing Technology inspired Shi Hongtai to pursue his dream of becoming a director, even if he lost.

However, he only had a little over 100,000 yuan in funds. Although the AI ​​video generation tool released by Lingjing Technology has greatly reduced the production cost and threshold, a little over 100,000 yuan was still a tight sum.

To make a movie, the minimum budget is one million.

“Let’s start with 3D animation series…” Shi Hongtai said to himself. After thinking it over again, he decided to start with 3D animation. He further learned about the tool, which could generate and produce both 2D and 3D animations.

Moreover, the cost is relatively low, which is suitable for my situation, so I made the decision.

……

(End of this chapter)