Artificial intelligence is shaking up China’s entertainment scene

Artificial intelligence is changing China’s entertainment industry, transforming one of its most popular genres: mini-drama. Microdramas are short, serialized shows made for mobile, and use quick plot developments to attract viewers. Small, addictive videos have become increasingly popular, creating a $14 billion industry in China. Powerful new AI tools make loop creation faster and cheaper. But as AI-generated dramas take off, some feel left out. This actress and director shared videos with The New York Times about their experiences in a changing industry. Xing Enran has been a minor drama actress since 2023, taking supporting roles, often playing the role of a seductress. She said each day was busy, but rewarding. Wang Yuchun began his career as an independent film director. But he struggled to find an audience for his work. So Wang decided to direct his first mini-drama. After a month of filming, his episodes were available online and people were paying to watch them. Since then, Wang has created more than 50 mini-series and established his own production company with about 100 employees. But things changed quickly for Wang and Xing in February when a new AI-powered video model called Seedance made it possible to create cinematic videos like this one showing Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in a multi-camera fight scene. At the same time, smaller drama streaming platforms started demanding higher quality. So Wang tested what he could do with Seedance. Wang says AI helped him reduce production time and special effects costs. It also opened up his creativity, allowing him to design complex science fiction characters. But this came at the expense of his employees. Wang said he laid off about 50 people, including field crew and producers. Actors like Xing aren’t safe either. Sheng said she used to work about 20 days a month, but these days she spends a lot of time at home. All this forced her to think about the next step in her career.