Quiet on set. How AI transformed China's microdrama scene
SMRTR summary
China's microdrama industry, once a booming multi-billion-dollar sector built on short mobile-friendly episodes, has been rapidly taken over by AI video tools. ByteDance's SeeDance 2.0 and rival platforms now produce full episodes at a fraction of live-action costs, with 95% of the 120,000 microdramas released in early 2026 being AI-generated. Actors and crews in Hengdian have seen work collapse almost overnight, forcing many into delivery driving or other side jobs.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Hacker News.
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