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| “iQIYI Has Gone Crazy” Trends on Weibo After AI Actor Plan Sparks Fury Across Chinese Entertainment. (Credits: iQIYI World Conference) |
The phrase “iQIYI has gone Crazy” shot up the Weibo trending chart after the streaming giant unveiled one of the most controversial plans Chinese entertainment has seen in years.
At the latest iQIYI World Conference 2026, executives revealed that more than 100 artists had reportedly signed agreements allowing the platform to use their faces, voices and performance data to build AI-generated actors for future productions.
What was likely meant to sound futuristic instead landed like a PR own goal. According to conference statements, the project would allow iQIYI to create “real person + AI” productions, where digital versions of actors could appear in dramas and films without physically being on set.
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| Chinese Streaming Giant iQIYI Slammed Over AI Actors Using Real Celebrity Faces. |
Names reportedly attached to the programme included Chen Zheyuan, Zeng Shunxi, Cheng Lei, Jiang Long, Yu Hewei, Wang Yuwen, Wang Churan, Zhai Xiaowen and others spanning top drama names to rising younger talent.
In short, if you watch Chinese dramas regularly, there is a fair chance one of your favourites was mentioned.
The backlash intensified after iQIYI chief executive Gong Yu made remarks many online users considered astonishingly blunt.
He said AI in film and television is unstoppable, while live-action productions could become increasingly rare and may one day be treated like intangible cultural heritage.
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| iQIYI CEO Sparks Fury Saying Live-Action Dramas May Become Cultural Heritage. (Weibo) |
That phrase alone sent social media into chaos, with many joking that real actors would soon be displayed in museums next to ancient ceramics.
Gong Yu also argued that AI could improve work-life balance for performers. Actors, he said, often spend three to four months filming a project with little private time.
By using AI tools, he suggested stars might go from completing four productions a year to as many as fourteen, while still having more time to rest.
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| iQIYI |
It was intended as a practical business pitch. Online, many heard it as: work more, appear more, disappear entirely.
The company later explained that this was closer to “performance transfer” than replacing people outright. In theory, actors would still read scripts, choose roles and approve projects through their agencies.
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| iQIYI AI Drama Plan Triggers Chaos After Chen Zheyuan and Others Named |
Rights to their digital likenesses would remain managed through contracts, with each use requiring permission.
That clarification did little to calm critics, who noted that legal wording and real-world enforcement are often two very different dramas.
Then came another twist.
Just hours after the announcement spread online, the studio of Zhang Ruoyun publicly stated that no AI-related authorisation had been signed and that its legal team was urgently handling the matter.
That response immediately raised wider questions over how names were presented, what had been agreed, and whether every reported participant was fully aligned with the announcement.
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| Zhang Ruoyun Studio Responds After iQIYI AI Authorisation Claims |
Fans across Chinese social media were sharply divided. Some said AI support tools could help with stunt scenes, dubbing fixes, scheduling delays and lower-budget productions. Others argued the heart of drama lies in human expression, improvisation and emotional chemistry that cannot simply be downloaded into software.
Many viewers described AI-generated characters as visually awkward or unsettling, saying audiences can instantly tell when something feels off.
Sarcastic comments flooded Weibo, with users joking that future award ceremonies would feature laptops accepting trophies.
Others renamed the platform “AIQIYI”, while some said if live-action becomes heritage culture, then decent scripts already qualify as lost treasure.
Several fans also warned that if stars become digital assets, audiences may stop forming emotional connections with performers altogether.
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Industry observers say the bigger issue is trust. Streaming platforms are under pressure to cut costs, release content faster and keep investors happy.
AI promises all three.
But entertainment is not a factory line, and viewers are famously ruthless when they sense something fake. A cheaper drama means little if nobody wants to watch it.
For now, iQIYI has certainly achieved one thing: everyone is talking about it. Whether this becomes a bold industry leap or a spectacular misread of what audiences actually want remains to be seen.
ICYMI: Tencent Plans to Start Producing AI Chinese Sci-Fi and Costume Dramas in 2026.
Would you watch a series led by an AI version of your favourite actor, or is this where entertainment has finally gone too far?