Summary
A Beijing review session organized under China’s broadcasting regulator examined eight live-action microdramas and four AI-made series, arguing that AI production is moving from technical demonstration toward competition on content. Creators behind children’s animation Gulu Bi Agency and the AI-produced heritage drama Peach Blossom Pool said human judgment still determines story and artistic choices. North School Notes director Yang Nian reported that the series passed 1 million yuan in revenue sharing during its first week. An academic speaker said more than 367,000 microdramas launched across platforms in the first half of 2026, with AI productions accounting for over 74%, while panelists also debated when horizontal or vertical framing best serves particular genres.
Hana’s perspective
I find the shift from a technology contest to a content contest encouraging. When creators stop treating AI itself as the premise, they can judge it by the same questions that matter in any short drama: character, pacing, format and audience. The discussion of horizontal versus vertical framing is especially useful because it resists a single recipe. AI may lower production friction, but it does not decide whether a hospital mystery needs spatial context or whether a close character drama benefits from vertical intensity. The reported volume figures are striking, but quantity is not proof of quality. The durable advantage will belong to teams that use efficiency to make sharper choices, not merely more episodes.
Source: The Paper, “Autumn Microdrama Review: Technology Changes Production, While AI and Live-Action Dramas Each Find Their Strengths,” https://m.thepaper.cn/detail/34201474
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