The philosophical side of AI

Veteran actors were cast to give voice to the lines: David Yip as Confucius and Kevin McNally as Socrates. Digital compositing technology then precisely matched their voices with their characters' facial expressions and movements.

The meetings of Socrates and Confucius are like a miracle, shining with wisdom. From sitting together on the steps of an ancient white building in Greece to strolling through an alley between ancient Chinese walls, Socrates chats with Confucius.

Their discussions range widely from their lifelong pursuits to the essence of education and to why Socrates accepted the death penalty.

Even after 2,500 years, the documentary reflects how the two giants continue to influence people today, especially the younger generation.

In one sequence, children at a primary school in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, are learning The Analects of Confucius and practicing calligraphy — one of the six arts that formed the basis of education in ancient China. In another, the head of a primary school in Northern Ireland uses Socrates' philosophical ideas to help boys cope with stress and resolve disputes.

Explaining the intention behind these sequences, Qiu says: "We have always believed that ancient philosophical ideas should never be abstract concepts stored on high shelves. The transmission and exchange of civilizations should never be mere theoretical elaboration. Rather, we must let wisdom that spans millennia truly enter contemporary life, creating emotional resonance and intellectual connection with today's audiences."

She adds: "The themes that Confucius and Socrates explored 2,500 years ago — self-cultivation, the pursuit of knowledge and goodness, dealing with the world, and governing society — remain common challenges for society. Their refined wisdom still profoundly shapes our ways of learning, our relationships with others, our value commitments, and our social order."

The early lives of the two great thinkers constitute the human-interest aspect of the project.

Confucius came from a humble background: he lost his father as a child and was raised solely by his mother. Poverty and worldly hardships were important backdrops to his life.

As for Socrates, besides his well-known identity as a philosopher, his craftsmanship as a stonemason — following in his father's footsteps — was highly praised at the time. His mother was a midwife, which inspired Socrates to compare himself to a "midwife of the spirit".

With related videos from the documentary released in seven languages, including English, Spanish, French, and German, the producers hope to develop the Incredible Encounter into a franchise, with the second documentary aiming to resurrect Herodotus and Sima Qian, two of the most influential historians from Greece and China, respectively.

Zhu Yannan, president of the China Association of Newspapers and Journals in Radio, Film and Television, describes the documentary as a pioneering work that achieves industry breakthroughs.

"The essential exploration of both Eastern and Western civilizations lies in establishing a reasonable order. Today, the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, and the collisions in the real world will force us to look back and examine the very origins and development of human civilization," says Zhu. "This documentary has a profound intellectual core, articulating that dialogue is the only right choice for civilizations to coexist."

Leng Song, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, suggests that such works — as a result of the rapid emergence of creators skilled in using AI technology — could introduce more AI-generated figures, such as an ordinary Athenian civilian or a disciple of Confucius, to ask the two icons questions as onlookers, thereby offering modern audiences a more resonant perspective.