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Li Xuan Reveals the Soft Side of AI in Music Video for Roy Wang’s “The Star Shepherd”

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2025

A full-on cultural phenomenon in China where it drove over 50 million views in 24 hours, this emotional music video for singer/songwriter and UNICEF ambassador Roy Wang, uses AI to simulate the warmth of stop-motion felt animation.

Director Li Xuan in Beijing: “The concept was born from Roy Wang’s 2024 visit as a UNICEF ambassador to Malawi, where he observed the natural harmony between local children and their environment.

“Inspired by a lyric from the song, ‘No one is afraid, no one is lonely, no one is blamed, no one leaves’, we envisioned a world of eternal night where a boy handcrafts stars and woolly creatures to light this darkness.

“‘The Star Shepherd’ sets a new benchmark for directing in the age of AI, demonstrating that the technology’s most significant potential lies in its ability to amplify our shared humanity and compassion.”

“What sets this project apart is its hybrid innovation: AI was used not only to generate scenes, but also to simulate the warmth of handcrafted felt, while preserving intentional imperfections such as flicker and asymmetry. This technical approach became a vessel for emotional storytelling.

“Fans embraced the message by calling themselves Star Shepherds, co-creating art, stories, plush toys, and praising the film as ‘the most human AI work I’ve ever seen’, proving that AI, when guided by human warmth, can amplify the heart of a song.

“By shifting the conversation from technical process to emotional resonance, ‘The Star Shepherd’ sets a new benchmark for directing in the age of AI, demonstrating that the technology’s most significant potential lies in its ability to amplify our shared humanity and compassion.”