AI正在"换血"中国短剧行业

The rise of this industry has been so fast that many people haven't caught up.

You may have heard the term, or you may not.

Let's first talk about what microdramas are.

Microdramas are short video series designed specifically for phones.

Each episode is usually only one or two minutes.

A complete drama has dozens to hundreds of episodes.

You watch episode by episode on your phone.

At the exciting parts you have to pay to unlock the next episode.

That's how this industry makes money.

Doesn't sound very sophisticated, right?

But the money it makes is shockingly large.

Last year the entire industry's scale exceeded 100 billion yuan.

This year it's expected to reach 120 billion.

What does 120 billion mean?

It's bigger than China's entire movie box office market.

Yes, you heard that right.

Microdramas have already surpassed movies.

Why is this?

Because microdramas directly capture users' time.

You may not watch a movie in a day.

But you can watch a few episodes of a short drama on the subway.

Watch a few while waiting in line.

Watch a few while on the toilet.

These fragmented moments add up.

For many people that's more time than watching movies.

So this market is naturally bigger than movies.

Now here's the issue.

This industry went through a huge change this year.

This change is AI.

AI means artificial intelligence.

Specifically what does it mean in microdramas?

Let's break it into two types.

The first is called "AI-assisted production."

The traditional filming process is still there.

There are still real actors.

There are still directors and cinematographers.

But AI is used to help in some steps.

For example, using AI to brainstorm ideas when writing scripts.

For example, using AI for effects during post-production editing.

For example, using AI directly when translating to English.

This approach can cut production costs by more than half.

The second is called "AI-native microdrama."

This one is even more extreme.

Even actors aren't needed.

Even scenes aren't needed.

Everything is AI-generated.

AI draws a character.

Then has that AI character "act."

The background is also drawn by AI.

The movements are also done by AI.

The dialogue is also written by AI.

Then AI combines all these things together.

Into a microdrama.

There's data that shows how fast this change is happening.

Last year, among the top 100 hottest microdramas.

AI-made ones accounted for only 7%.

This year it suddenly jumped to 38%.

From 7% to 38%.

Five times growth in a year.

This growth rate is very rare.

Just in January of this year.

China had about 470 new microdramas going online each day.

470.

In one day.

If you wanted to watch them all one by one.

At 10 minutes each.

You'd need to watch 80 hours a day to catch up.

But there are only 24 hours in a day.

So no one can finish.

This production speed is something only AI can achieve.

Traditional methods make it impossible.

Why does everyone want to use AI?

The core reason is cost.

The cost of traditionally filming a microdrama.

Is roughly between several hundred thousand to several million yuan.

Depending on production scale.

With AI.

Costs can drop to one-tenth of the original.

Or even less.

And the speed is very fast.

Traditional filming needs several weeks.

AI generation can be completed within days.

Some even come out in hours.

Low cost, fast speed.

What's the impact on the industry?

It means anyone can make microdramas.

Before, you needed a team.

You needed funding.

You needed locations.

Now you only need a computer.

Know how to use a few AI tools.

And you can make a microdrama that looks very professional.

This of course has a good side.

The diversity of content has greatly increased.

Users have more choices.

Genres have also become more diverse.

Genres that couldn't be made before due to cost constraints.

Can all be made now.

For example needing period costumes.

Needing big scenes.

Needing special effects.

Before only big companies could make these.

Now AI lets small teams make them too.

But AI has also brought many problems.

The most serious problem is copyright.

Some companies use AI to "generate" the likenesses of famous actors.

Then make a microdrama that looks like that actor is in it.

But that actor wasn't involved at all.

This is stealing someone else's likeness rights.

This kind of thing has happened several times.

So the Chinese government started regulating this industry this year.

Starting January 1st.

Any new key microdrama before going online.

Must be reported to the government for approval.

At the same time, the investment threshold for key dramas was raised from 1 million to 3 million.

This is to improve the overall quality of the industry.

Don't let everyone make shoddy stuff.

The effects of these policies are hard to say right now.

But one thing is certain.

The changes AI brings are already irreversible.

Traditional production methods will be broken.

A large number of workers will face career transitions.

Actors, directors, cinematographers, script supervisors.

Their jobs might all be partially replaced by AI.

Or even fully.

This isn't just a microdrama industry problem.

It's a problem for the entire content industry.

Movies, TV, games, animation.

All these industries are facing the same impact.

Microdramas are just at the front.

Because microdramas have the shortest production cycle.

The lowest trial-and-error costs.

So AI exploded here first.

But other industries won't be far behind.

We are entering a new content era.

An era that can be generated infinitely.

An era that requires rethinking what "original" means.

An era that requires redefining "real."

This era has already arrived.

Right in our phones.