 |
| AI Long-Form Dramas Are Officially Here as Tencent Tests Costume and Sci-Fi Series. (Image via: Weibo) |
AI is no longer hovering around the edges of Chinese drama production. It has stepped straight into the deep end.
In December 2025, Tencent Video quietly launched its AI Long-Form Content Lab Plan, a testing programme aimed squarely at costume and sci-fi dramas, two genres known for heavy spending and long production cycles.
The rule is simple but bold: each experimental title must stay within roughly 60% of the budget of a traditional project at the same scale.
If the results hold up, the plan could roll out across Tencent Video’s original drama and film slate.
This move isn’t coming out of nowhere.
AI has already been used across manju productions, where lightly animated comic panels and AI-assisted dubbing help keep costs low.
It has also appeared in a growing number of vertical and horizontal short dramas, particularly fantasy titles that benefit from algorithm-generated visuals and environments.
Platforms like Mango TV and Hongguo Short Drama have already formed dedicated AI teams, producing short projects while their workflows are still being refined.
Tencent’s advantage lies in its ecosystem.
With strong links to IP libraries, online literature, and game content, the platform has no shortage of training material feeding into its in-house models.
Following an internal restructuring in early December, Tencent’s Online Video Business Unit (OVBU) set up a new technology department, pulling AIGC, transcoding, and platform tools closer to the content production line.
The aim is clear: let algorithms handle more of the groundwork and shorten creation cycles without shrinking ambition.
According to industry insiders, the first AI long-form experiments are already underway. Costume epics and sci-fi dramas are being treated as stress tests, with strict budget caps and close monitoring of output quality.
If they pass, AI-assisted production could quickly become standard across Tencent’s self-produced series and films.
At a recent film festival forum, Sun Zhonghuai, Vice President of Tencent and Chairman of Tencent Online Video, summed up the mood bluntly, calling the next year a key window for AI long-form projects. In his view, creative control is being redistributed, and platforms that adapt early will set the pace.
 |
| Tencent Starts Testing AI in Full-Length Costume and Sci-Fi Dramas. (Photo: Weibo) |
Other major players are watching closely. Compared to Tencent and Alibaba-backed platforms, iQIYI, Mango TV, and Bilibili appear more cautious in large-model deployment.
That said, iQIYI has long been aggressive in protecting and monetising IP, and its eventual response could shape how AI content is licensed and reused across platforms.
Meanwhile, Alibaba’s ecosystem is moving fast. AI tools are already embedded into virtual shooting, costume design previews, and short-form storytelling experiments.
The recent launch of AI drama playground features, even involving familiar faces like Chen Jianbin and Li Dongxue, signals how legacy content is being repurposed for a new production era.
 |
What’s driving all this urgency is simple maths.
In 2025 alone, multiple AI short dramas reportedly produced for under 300 dollars reached audiences exceeding 300 million views in China. For platforms under pressure to control costs while keeping output high, that ratio is impossible to ignore.
Fans and netizens, however, are split. Some are excited by the idea of faster releases, more experimental worlds, and fewer delays caused by long shoots. Others worry that over-reliance on AI could flatten storytelling, dilute performance nuance, or turn high-budget genres into visually polished but emotionally thin products.
A common comment across social platforms is cautious optimism, with many saying AI should assist creators, not replace them.
As AI pushes further into long-form dramas, the question isn’t whether it will be used, but how much audiences are willing to accept once it moves beyond tests and into prime-time slots.
Do you think AI can really carry a full-length costume or sci-fi drama, or will viewers draw a line when it starts to feel too synthetic? The next wave of releases might give us the answer.