AI-generated videos are increasingly replacing human actors and livestreamers in China's entertainment industry. Since the launch of ByteDance's Seedance 2.0, digital performers have been able to produce higher-quality videos at a faster rate and lower cost than human counterparts. In Q1 2026, approximately 128,000 short dramas were published in China, three times the total for all of 2025. According to the China Netcasting Services Association, 95% of these were AI-generated. This shift has raised concerns about the impact on traditional performers and the labor market.
The cost of producing one minute of AI video has dropped to $90 to $120, about ten percent of what it used to cost to produce content with human actors, said Tsinghua University professor Shen Yang in an interview with the Financial Times. Some performers are being forced to 'distil' their voice and likeness into AI tools before being laid off. AI-related labor disputes have also increased over the past two to three years, according to legal experts. With the release of Seedance 2.5 and Wan 3.0, AI video quality has improved significantly, further accelerating the trend.
The industry currently employs 690,000 people directly, and 15 million list livestreaming as their primary job. This highlights the scale of the disruption caused by AI-generated content. The Financial Times reported that some performers are being forced to 'distil' their voice and likeness into AI tools before being laid off. AI-related labor disputes have also increased over the past two to three years, according to legal experts.
Source: thedecoder
