Online users can easily encounter AI-generated dramas spanning numerous genres, many featuring nonsensical or shocking plots. Much of the content circulates through cross-border platforms with limited content oversight, while AI short dramas have become compulsive viewing for millions worldwide.

Technological advances are also allowing the AI short-drama industry to expand at remarkable speed. Production times are short, costs are low and producers do not have to pay salaries to human actors.

The format also caters to growing demand for quick entertainment.

At the 2025 Zurich Film Festival, the founder of production company Particle6 unveiled virtual actress Tilly Norwood and said Hollywood talent agencies had expressed interest in signing her.

The announcement ignited debate over the future of filmmaking, the possibility of AI replacing human actors and where limits on the technology should be drawn.

Norwood even has her own website featuring information, images and promotions for new projects.

"I know a lot of you have been talking about me. It hasn't always been kind, but that's okay," Norwood's introduction reads. "You're still discussing AI and what it offers to people creating creative work, and that's ultimately the point. I'm not a replacement for anyone."

Norwood represents a wave of AI performers beginning to emerge in Hollywood.

However, virtual actors have faced strong opposition from film professionals who argue that AI cannot replicate genuine human emotion and acting ability.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has said he does not consider Norwood an actor, describing her simply as "software labeled as an actor."

In China, an AI actress named Fang Taozi also caused a sensation on social media after opening an account in June and rapidly attracting nearly half a million followers, a level of popularity that even many human actors struggle to achieve after years in the profession.

Advances in technology and the Internet have provided a powerful springboard for AI-generated films and performers, allowing them to gain fame rapidly and reach millions of viewers worldwide.

Chinese short-drama producers often focus on themes designed to capture attention immediately: billionaires falling in love with maids, company chairmen pretending to be poor, time travel, family revenge, contract marriages and martial arts.

Episodes typically last only a few minutes. Smooth visuals, attractive settings and good-looking characters are combined with plots that escalate rapidly, drawing viewers into a seemingly endless cycle even when they recognize that the stories offer little substance.

Episodes commonly end on cliffhangers intended to push audiences toward the next installment. The more shocking and implausible the story becomes, the more effectively it can hold viewers' attention.

From 2023 to 2026, China's short-drama market expanded rapidly. The format costs less and takes less time to produce than conventional television dramas, while offering relatively straightforward monetization through advertising and paid viewing packages. It also fits the growing habit of watching short-form video on smartphones.

Some short-drama platforms in China have generated billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Producer Chu Shuang of Xuebao Studio abandoned live-action short dramas to focus on AI-generated productions.

"A project takes only 20 to 30 days to complete. The cost is only around 20% of a live-action production. That is truly astonishing," she said.

Shorter production times and substantially lower costs were fundamental reasons her studio shifted toward AI.

The technology not only expands creators' imaginative possibilities but is also transforming the entire video production process.

A warning for filmmakers

According to figures from the China Netcasting Services Association, around 128,000 short dramas were released across the industry in the first quarter of 2026. About 122,000 were AI-generated, accounting for more than 95%.

Amid the sector's breakneck expansion, China's National Radio and Television Administration issued guidance on Sept. 30 calling for healthier and more standardized development of AI-generated films.

The authority said it would continue taking action against productions featuring excessive commercialization, sensationalism, vulgarity or harmful content, while requiring filmmakers to comply strictly with review, licensing and labeling rules.

Vietnamese filmmakers are also entering the AI filmmaking wave.

Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV) and TFS Studio recently announced the AI-generated film project "Bai san". Its first season will comprise 15 episodes, each running for three minutes, and is scheduled to premiere during the 2027 Lunar New Year holiday across HTV's multimedia platforms.