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Join us for our online seminar series event hosted by MIT Media Lab's Advancing Humans with AI (AHA) research program. This upcoming event features Chuck Chae, award-winning director and the founder of ARIA Studios. This discussion will be moderated by Dr. Pat Pataranutaporn.
This talk explores how emotional memory can be encoded, simulated, and experienced through AI-driven narrative systems. Anchored by Apartment: In the Realm of Ripley, an interactive film that integrates voice-responsive AI agents and memory-based decision logic, the presentation introduces a multidisciplinary framework combining narrative design, affective computing, and real-time interaction. Rather than following pre-scripted branches, the film’s agentic structure allows storylines to evolve dynamically through audience input, simulating character memory and emotional feedback.
The discussion further examines how this approach expands beyond cinema. Through character-behavior model (CBM), interactive AI personas are being developed for applications ranging from virtual concerts to live-stage performance systems. A recent example is the creation of a virtual K-pop idol capable of real-time, emotionally attuned interaction, marking a shift toward adaptive entertainment experiences. These projects reflect a broader change in media consumption: from passive viewing to emotionally co-authored, participatory formats.
In this emerging landscape, new creative possibilities arise at the intersection of human intuition and machine precision. As the boundary between human intent and algorithmic reproduction becomes increasingly fluid, creators are challenged to reconsider what must be preserved, reimagined, or relinquished. Rather than offering seamless perfection, human-AI collaboration opens a fertile space where imperfection becomes a site of rediscovery, an invitation to return to the core of what makes storytelling meaningful. Through works like Apartment: In the Realm of Ripley and a growing body of AI-driven projects, Aria Studios explores how classical aesthetics and computational systems may converge, prompting a renewed inquiry into what it means to create in the Post-AI era.
Chuck Chae is an award-winning director and the founder of ARIA Studios, a creative collective of virtual entertainment studios pioneering emotionally intelligent storytelling. Recognized by the Venice, Cannes, Golden Horse, and Hong Kong Film Awards, his work bridges cinema and innovation. His VR animation BUDDY VR won Best VR Experience at the 75th Venice Film Festival, while earlier credits such as Mr. Go and Detective Dee 3 earned nominations for Best Visual Effects at Asia’s top film honors. At ARIA Studios, Chae leads the development of AI-powered character IP and immersive narratives, including MoonBona, a virtual K-pop idol, and LG’s virtual human Reah Keem. In September 2025, he will premiere Apartment: In the Realm of Ripley, the world’s first AI-powered interactive film in commercial theaters, in partnership with a major global cinema chain, marking a new milestone in intelligent entertainment.