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AI opens new creative doors, raises new concerns across China’s screen industry_我的网站

一 |     就在8月21日，快手弹指宇宙自研MMO《诡秘之主》正式公测。    

    Staff members work on a short-form drama in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, on July 21, 2026. Photo: VCG
Open Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and AI-generated short dramas are hard to miss.
The stories span almost every genre familiar to Chinese audiences, from fantasy and immortal cultivation to urban romance and period tales.
The biggest difference is that the actors, settings and even many of the visual elements are generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
One of the latest hits is The Inverse Zone, an original mystery-thriller about monsters that has been dubbed an AI version of Stranger Things. The series has released three episodes so far, each receiving more than 1 million likes on Douyin.
Yet the team behind it consists of just three people, all born after 2000.
While Hollywood is still catching up with the short drama boom, China's short-drama industry is already moving into the AI era.
For many young creators, AI is not just another tool - it is a door that small teams could never have opened before.
"We've always wanted to make professional film and television content, with visual language, complete storytelling and a cinematic feel," Hu Hai, a member of the team behind The Inverse Zone, told the Global Times. "But the cost and barriers of live-action production were too high. Small teams had little chance to realize high-quality film and television projects."
As increasingly capable domestic AI models emerged, that door began to open. "The maturity of AI creative tools made us see new possibilities," Hu said.
The explosive growth of AI-generated short dramas is a double-edged sword: It opens doors for some, but leaves many in the industry uncertain about what comes next. Many actors who once benefited from the short-drama boom are now finding work increasingly scarce, with some turning to other professions. Meanwhile, the use of celebrities likenesses in AI-generated content (AIGC) has ignited a fresh wave of debate.
Where is the industry headed next? Global Times reporters spoke with AI creators, short-drama actors and industry experts about the opportunities and uncertainties ahead.
         Screenshots from the AI-generated microdrama The Inverse Zone Photo: Courtesy of Hu Hai
Lowering barriers

Hu studied directing and filmmaking in college. His team initially focused on short comedy videos, a field with relatively low production costs and less barriers to entry. But after years of producing this type of content, they eventually reached a creative plateau. That began to shift as more advanced AI tools came onto the scene.
To produce The Inverse Zone, the team used domestic video-generation models Seedance 2.0 and 2.5. The series took nearly two months to prepare, including world-building, character design and establishing a consistent visual style. "Seedance is the best in the world. It's extremely advanced. There's no model in Europe or the US that is more useful than it," Hu told the Global Times.
The technology does not mean production is effortless, however.
According to Hu, a typical episode costs around 4,000 to 5,000 yuan ($593-$741) to produce, while episodes involving large-scale scenes, complex special effects or demanding lighting and rendering can cost more than 10,000 yuan.
The team used AI for image generation, basic voice work and material rendering, while humans remained responsible for the script, character development, cinematography and post-production.
"The soul of the entire series is still controlled by people," Hu said. "All the key creative decisions are manually adjusted and repeatedly reviewed."
Ya Cen, operations head of AI video platform LibTV, told the Global Times that the AI short-drama ecosystem is now characterized by small teams, high productivity and strong individual styles. "The most direct value of AIGC is that it has lowered the geographic and financial barriers to film and television production," she added.
    Screenshots from the AI-generated microdrama The Inverse Zone Photo: Courtesy of Hu Hai
Actors in AI era
Yet the rise of AI short dramas is also creating new tensions.
AI-generated characters are now building fanbases, landing brand endorsements, and being described as the next generation of digital stars. At the same time, many celebrities including Taiwan actress Joey Wong have reportedly given permission for their younger likenesses to be used in AIGC.
The impact extends beyond celebrity likenesses. It is also being felt by people who once benefited from China's booming live-action short-drama industry.
The short-drama boom created opportunities for large numbers of actors, many of whom could quickly become recognizable faces. However, as AI-generated productions expand, some performers are finding fewer acting opportunities and turning to other professions.
Chongqing native Luo Xinyuan, 21, has experienced that shift firsthand.
She spent more than a year in Hengdian, East China's Zhejiang Province as a short-drama actress. Since May, she has worked at a scenic area playing Huang Rong, a character from a classic Chinese martial arts novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
"When short dramas were at their peak, there were lots of fast-paced, feel-good stories," Luo told the Global Times. "But that kind of content is difficult to sustain. Without richer and more meaningful stories, the pressure from AI short dramas will make things even harder."
For many short-drama actors, the disruption is likely to be structural rather than an immediate wholesale replacement, Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times. The question of celebrity likenesses may prove even more complicated.
Zhang warned that unrestricted authorization could raise concerns over control and revenue sharing. Without clearer rules, the technology could put further pressure on ordinary actors.
The next stage may not be a choice between humans and machines, but a new production model in which the two increasingly work together.
For creators such as Hu, that possibility is already here.
"AI has finally given young creators like us the opportunity to realize the film and television dreams we've had for years," he said.
。这款耗资12亿的游戏在开服之后热度爆表，单服排队人数接近1.4万，部分玩家要等7个多小时才能进游戏。游戏热度一路走高，登上iOS免费榜，公测第二天就冲进畅销榜TOP15。

二 | 市面上多数MMO，都会等公司财报发布之后再对外公布数据。但《诡秘之主》项目组选择直接在社交平台公开开服数据：上线1小时新增用户突破100万，同时在线70万，公测第一天新增用户接近500万。游戏的火爆也带动资本市场反馈，快手股价在公测当天小幅上涨2.32%。公测第三天，官方对外公布游戏的收入情况。iOS渠道带来约15%的收入，剩下85%来自PC端和安卓官服充值，这份统计没有把B站渠道服算进去。

三 | 结合公开信息，行业第三方估算，游戏上线头三天流水超过6000万。

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五 | 游戏上线了不少欧式、洛丽塔风格的时装，用来吸引女性玩家。9月新版本的留存和流水表现，也会影响繁中版本、海外版本的上线节奏。从玩家的实际反馈来看，游戏目前存在两个比较突出的问题。剧情改动让一部分原著粉丝不太认可，序章战力设定、塔罗会角色的表现，都引发不少讨论，这也是IP改编游戏很容易碰到的难题。

六 | 另外UE引擎带来的手机端优化问题还没解决，不少玩家转而选择PC端游玩，也间接拉高了PC和官服的收入占比。眼下游戏热度高涨，一方面是IP自带流量，另一方面市面上缺少同级别的竞品。不过MMO游戏拼的是长期运营，能不能留住原著书粉、老MMO玩家、喜欢时装的休闲玩家，是接下来的关键。现在做大型MMO成本门槛很高，项目组也提到，2026年做大型MMO，能活下来就已经算成功。游戏第二个月的留存、版本更新质量、出海进度，都会被行业持续关注。你觉得《诡秘之主》靠官服充值外加外观打折这套方式，能维持住后续的运营表现吗？欢迎在评论区留下你的看法～。

七 |

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Published on:05:07:30