As generative artificial intelligence (AI) video tools race ahead, Kim Young-ki, CEO and director of Seoul-based AI studio The Ape Squad, is betting on a counterintuitive thesis: The more powerful AI becomes, the more indispensable human directors will be. For the CEO, who also has an extensive background in traditional ad production, AI is not a shortcut to cheaper content through replacing creative labor. Rather, he views it is a tool that allows directors to implement their creative intent with greater fidelity than traditional live-action shoots. “I actually put in more of my own time when directing AI videos than when directing live-action,” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times at the studio's offices in Gangnam District, Seoul. “With AI work, I have to be involved in every single step personally, handling many parts one by one … That made us think a lot about where to find the right balance, how much is reduced and what we gain in return.” The Ape Squad started as an AI-related R&D team at Kim’s live-action ad studio Space Monster Content. It spun off to b