AI is shaking up China’s entertainment landscape

AI is transforming China’s entertainment industry and one of its most popular genres: microdrama. Microdramas are short, serialized telephone shows that use quick plot developments to captivate viewers. The addictive, bite-sized videos have become increasingly popular and have created a $14 billion industry in China. Powerful new AI tools make episode creation faster and more cost-effective. But as AI-generated dramas gain traction, some feel like they’re being left behind. This actress and director shared videos with the New York Times about her experiences in a changing industry. Xing Enran has been a microdrama actress since 2023, taking on supporting roles and often playing the seductress. She said every day is tiring but rewarding. Wang Yushun began his career as an independent filmmaker. But he found it difficult to find an audience for his work. So Wang decided to direct his first microdrama. A month after filming, his episodes were online and people were paying to watch them. Since then, Wang has created over 50 microdramas and founded his own production company with around 100 employees. But in February, things changed for Wang and at the same time, microdrama streaming platforms began demanding higher quality. So Wang tested what he could do with Seedance. Wang says AI has helped him reduce production time and costs for special effects. It also gave him the opportunity to express his creativity and design complex science fiction characters. However, this came at the expense of his employees. Wang said he has laid off around 50 people, including sales representatives and producers. Even actors like Xing are not safe. Xing said she used to work about 20 days a month, but these days she spends a lot of time at home. All of this has forced her to think about what’s next in her career.