Quality over quantity: China’s AI microdrama producers battle viewer fatigue
Challenge has shifted from making videos at low cost to standing out in a market saturated with lookalike productions, creators say
Two decades after stepping away from the spotlight, iconic actress Joey Wong made an unexpected return to the screen – not through a traditional production, but via artificial intelligence-powered reconstruction.
In a two-minute video by NetEase this summer, Wong, one of the most well-known actresses of the 1980s and 90s, had some of her most celebrated roles recreated, including the beautiful ghost in A Chinese Ghost Story and an alluring snake demon in Green Snake.
More than 90 per cent of the 430,000 microdramas launched online in the first eight months of the year were AI-generated, according to the National Radio and Television Administration, China’s broadcasting regulator.
