China’s microdrama industry is booming thanks to AI.
The short-form videos — essentially “soap operas rebuilt for smartphone attention spans” — started taking off in China in recent years, but AI has allowed the industry to launch about 470 new titles daily in January alone, the Hello China Tech newsletter wrote.
AI-generated clips haven’t taken off in the US in the same way; OpenAI recently canned its video-focused offering.
But Beijing cracked down on the industry after several dramas used the likenesses of prominent human actors, with regulations requiring new series to seek government approval before release.
China will tolerate “rapid commercial experimentation” across technology, but is quick to step in “when the social costs become visible to ordinary citizens,” the newsletter argued.