AI is shaking up China’s entertainment landscape

AI is transforming China’s entertainment industry and one of its most popular genres: microdramas. Microdramas are short serial shows created for mobile phones that use rapid plot development to captivate viewers. The addictive bite-sized videos have become increasingly popular, creating a $14 billion industry in China. Powerful new AI tools help you create episodes faster and cheaper. However, as AI-created dramas become more popular, some feel they are being left behind. The actor and director shared a video with The New York Times about his experience in the changing industry. Xing Enran has been a microdrama actor since 2023, playing supporting roles and often playing the role of a seducer. They say that although every day is busy, it is rewarding. Yuxun Wang started his career as an independent film director. However, he had difficulty finding an audience for his work. So Mr. Wang decided to direct his first microdrama. A month after filming, his episodes were posted online and people were paying to see them. Since then, Wang has produced more than 50 microdramas and established his own production company with about 100 employees. But things quickly changed for Wang and At the same time, microdrama streaming platforms are starting to demand higher quality. So Wang tested what he could do with Seedance. Wang says AI has helped reduce the production time and cost of special effects. It also opened up his creativity, allowing him to design complex sci-fi characters. However, this was done at the expense of his staff. Mr. Wang said he had laid off about 50 people, including field staff and producers. Even actors like Xing are not safe. Mr. Singh said he used to work about 20 days a month, but these days he spends a lot of time at home. All of this got her thinking about the next step in her career.