AI reshapes China’s short‑drama industry and leads Hollywood’s first AI‑led feature film

China’s short‑drama sector, which supports over 2 million jobs, is being rapidly transformed by artificial‑intelligence video tools. ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 model, introduced in March 2026, enabled AI‑generated dramas to comprise 38 % of the top‑100 short dramas by January 2026, cutting production crews from dozens to as few as four or five people and driving daily rates for actors down from RMB 5,000–20,000 to around RMB 1,200.

In Hollywood, the AI‑generated character Tilly Norwood has secured the lead role in the feature film *Misaligned*, marking the first AI‑led film in history. Produced by the London‑based studio Particle6, the movie blends traditional filmmakers with AI specialists and has drawn criticism from SAG‑AFTRA and other industry groups concerned about the replacement of human performers. The project is positioned as a hybrid production that explores identity and AI‑related anxieties while showcasing the potential for AI to act alongside human creators.