The Download: China's manufacturers' viral moment, and how AI is changing creativity

Since the video was posted earlier this month, millions of TikTok users have watched as a young Chinese man in a blue T-shirt sits beside a traditional tea set and speaks directly to the camera in accented English: "Let's expose luxury's biggest secret." He stands and lifts what looks like an Hermès Birkin bag, one of the world's most exclusive and expensive handbags, before gesturing toward the shelves filled with more bags behind him. "You recognize them: Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci--all crafted in our workshops." He ends by urging viewers to buy directly from his factory. Video "exposés" like this--where a sales agent breaks down the material cost of luxury goods, from handbags to perfumes to appliances--are everywhere on TikTok right now.