ByteDance and AI short drama industry face computing power debate

A debate has emerged regarding the allocation of AI computing resources in China, centered on claims that a significant portion of AI token consumption is driven by the production of short dramas and video generation. Data from China Online suggested that short dramas and video generation account for 55% of AI token consumption in mainland China, compared to 15% for research and development.

However, Doubao, an AI assistant under ByteDance, has contested these figures. Liu Xing, a PR representative for Doubao, questioned the reliability of the statistics, noting that token consumption does not directly equate to total computing power. ByteDance reported that approximately 10% of its total computing power is used for the training and inference of video generation models, which includes R&D.

In a related move to support the sector, ByteDance's Volcengine has launched the Seedance premium AI drama incentive program. The initiative offers rewards of up to 200,000 RMB for high-performing AI-generated animated or simulated human dramas released on the Hongguo short drama app. The program specifically targets content created using the Seedance platform and excludes live-action productions.