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AI Replaces China's Actors Overnight
22 Aug
Summary
- AI tools now produce popular microdramas at a fraction of the cost.
- Over 120,000 microdramas were released in Q1, 95% by AI.
- Actors face cratering salaries, with some turning to delivery driving.
The town of Hengdian, a major film hub in China's Zhejiang province, is experiencing a dramatic shift. Once bustling with microdrama productions, sets are now falling quiet as AI-generated video tools have taken over the industry. These new technologies can produce popular vertical microdramas at significantly lower costs, decimating live-action productions.
In the first three months of 2026, over 120,000 microdramas were released, with Chinese state media reporting that 95% were generated by AI. This has led to actors struggling to find work, with some experiencing sharp decreases in filming days and turning to other jobs, such as food delivery, to make ends meet.
AI video generation tools, like ByteDance's SeeDance 2.0, can create a 120-minute microdrama in about a week for approximately 15,000 yuan ($2,200). This is less than a tenth of the cost of traditional live production. The industry's rapid AI transformation is impacting livelihoods, causing job losses and creating uncertainty about the future.
While AI can produce content rapidly and cheaply, some argue it lacks the full range of human emotion. Nonetheless, the trend highlights a significant disruption in creative industries, raising questions about the future role of human actors and creatives alongside advancing AI technology.
