ITHome October 7 news: #After watching AI short dramas, I can only say live-action short dramas are finished# hit Weibo's hot search today (October 7),Data shows that in 2026, AI short dramas, with one-tenth the cost and visual spectacle, dominate the charts of major platforms, causing live-action short drama production starts to plummet by more than 70%, and many mid-tier actors face the unemployment crisis of having no roles to play.
Before ITHome published this article, #After watching AI short dramas, I can only say live-action short dramas are finished# ranked second on Weibo's hot search list, with a heat value of 1,501,003.
On the Hongguo trending chart, only 1 of the top 20 entries is a live-action drama, while the other 19 are all AI-generated.
In terms of production cost, AI short dramas cost only 1/10 as much to produce as live-action dramas; in the first quarter, AI accounted for over 95% of released micro short dramas, with a new drama born every 36 seconds on average. Costs have been compressed from 300,000–400,000 yuan to just tens of thousands of yuan, and a 3-person team can churn out 80 episodes in 5 days.
In terms of visual experience, AI easily achieves the fantasy cultivation epics and large-scale war scenes that live-action dramas 'can't afford to shoot,' with characters of consistently good looks and exquisite costumes, makeup, and props, precisely capturing the feel-good demands of the lower-tier market.
In terms of capital, hit by AI, live-action short drama production starts have plummeted about 75% year-over-year, studio vacancy rates in Hengdian are nearly 80%, and many mid-tier actors face the predicament of having no roles to play. In addition, after platforms canceled the guaranteed revenue-sharing policy, many high-cost, low-return live-action short drama projects have stalled and exited, with capital turning entirely to the AI track.
However, AI dramas still have shortcomings: AI characters have stiff expressions and vacant eyes, lacking genuine emotional tension, and the plots are highly formulaic with an extremely low hit rate, with over 90% of producers operating at a loss.