Turkish production company Ay Yapim released its artificial intelligence series Castle Walls on streaming platform Prime Video on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The launch marks a major shift for generative AI technology, moving from experimental short clips into the catalog of a mainstream international streaming service.
The series, known in Turkey as Surlar, incorporates generative models across almost its entire audiovisual production process. Unlike previous television projects that used artificial intelligence solely for specific post-production tasks or visual effects, Castle Walls applied machine learning to character creation, visual development, video generation, image finishing, and voice dubbing.
Despite the heavy reliance on technology, the production maintained human creative oversight throughout. The script was written by Kerem Deren and Cisil Hazal Tenim, the screenwriting duo behind the historical drama El Turco. A human team defined the narrative arc and guided the operation of each generative tool. Ay Yapim insisted that the production did not dispense with human capability, but rather used artificial intelligence to empower creative workers.
Castle Walls centers on the history and legends surrounding the fortress of Alamut, an ancient mountain stronghold whose ruins are located in modern Iran. Conceived as a short-form fiction series with episodes lasting approximately 15 minutes, the project spent about a year in development before securing global distribution on Prime Video.
Production technology and proprietary tools
Responsibility for the project fell to AI Yapim, a specialized subsidiary established by parent company Ay Yapim to experiment with artificial intelligence in screen storytelling. While veteran Istanbul-based producer Ay Yapim brings more than two decades of experience creating Turkish television dramas exported worldwide, AI Yapim operates out of Singapore specifically to handle AI-assisted production workflows.
To construct the series, the technical team combined a wide array of commercial and open-source generative platforms. ChatGPT was used to refine creative prompts, while MidJourney handled visual exploration. Runway and Google Nano Banana managed character integration, while video generation and cinematic refinement relied on Veo, Kling, ComfyUI, and Topaz. Voice rendering and dubbing were completed using Runway and ElevenLabs.
The production also relied on custom software built specifically for the project. The team used AI Yapim Storyboard to organize storyboards and manage daily production workflows, alongside AYDNA 1.0, a proprietary video diffusion model created by the company. To address industry concerns over copyright and data provenance, Ay Yapim trained and fine-tuned AYDNA 1.0 exclusively on its own licensed catalog of television content.
Industry implications and ethical debate
First unveiled publicly in 2025 as one of the Turkish television industry's initial major AI experiments, Castle Walls subsequently entered the international content market. Its arrival on Prime Video shifts the project from a technical demonstration to a commercial product competing directly for viewer attention on a mainstream platform alongside traditional television series.
Until now, generative AI in film and television had been largely restricted to short films, conceptual teasers, and promotional material. If the model demonstrated by Castle Walls proves commercially viable, it could significantly alter production budgets, timelines, and physical requirements, particularly for historical recreations or projects requiring elaborate sets and heavy visual effects. However, the technology has also renewed intense debate over creative authorship, industry employment, image rights, and the long-term role of human craftspeople.
Commercial streaming debut
Ay Yapim has attempted to navigate these ethical concerns by positioning artificial intelligence as a creative partner rather than a replacement for human workers. When introducing the series, Ay Yapim Chief Executive Kerem Catay stated that the goal was to harness technology to expand the visual scope of the story while preserving the human emotional connection that engages audiences with a narrative.
The release comes as major media companies worldwide increase their tests with artificial intelligence in content creation. Industry analysts view the debut of Castle Walls on Prime Video as a key testing ground to determine whether AI-generated drama can build a sustained commercial audience in global television streaming.
