AI shakes up China’s entertainment industry

AI is changing China’s entertainment industry, transforming one of its most popular genres: microdramas. Microdramas are short, serialized programs made for mobile phones that captivate viewers with rapid developments. Addictive, bite-sized videos have become increasingly popular, creating a $14 billion industry in China. Powerful new AI tools make creating episodes faster and cheaper. But as AI-generated dramas become more prevalent, some people feel left out. The actress and director shared a video with The New York Times of her experiences in the changing industry. Xin Enran has been active as a microdrama actress since 2023, often playing supporting roles and playing seducers. She said every day was busy but rewarding. Wang Yushun began his career as an independent film director. However, he had trouble finding an audience for his work. So Wang decided to direct his first microdrama. A month after filming, his episode went online and people started paying to watch it. Since then, Mr. Wang has produced more than 50 microdramas and founded his own production company, which employs about 100 people. But things quickly changed for Wang and Shin in February, when a new AI video model called Seedance allowed them to create cinematic videos like this one showing Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in a multi-camera fight scene. At the same time, microdrama streaming platforms began demanding higher quality. So Wang tested what Seedance could do. Wang said AI has reduced the production time and cost of special effects. This also opened up his creativity, allowing him to design complex sci-fi characters. But this comes at the expense of his staff. Wang said about 50 people were laid off, including field staff and producers. Actors like Shin are not safe either. 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 has forced her to think about what’s next in her career.