From Film Sets to Prompts: The AI Short-Drama Revolution

China's ultra-short drama industry is being transformed by AI-generated video, with production hubs like Zhengzhou facing shrinking budgets and fewer shoots while AI studios in Wuxi produce dramas faster and at lower cost. The shift raises questions about the future role of humans in filmmaking as AI technology becomes more prevalent.

MULTIMEDIA /features/26290/multimedia?source=video From Film Sets to Prompts: The AI Short-Drama Revolution China’s booming ultra-short drama industry is being reshaped by the rapid rise of AI-generated video. In Zhengzhou, one of the country’s major production hubs, directors, actors, crews, and film bases that once fueled the industry’s explosive growth are now facing shrinking budgets, fewer shoots, and an uncertain future. Meanwhile, in other cities like Wuxi, AI studios are embracing the same technology to produce dramas faster and at a fraction of the traditional cost. As the two worlds increasingly converge, the question is no longer whether AI will change filmmaking, but what role humans will have in it. Additional reporting: Jiang Xinyi; story editors: Apurva and Qi Ya; video editor: Lü Xiao