AI-generated micro-dramas make up over 90% of China’s 430,000 releases in Jan-Aug

(ECNS) -- More than 90% of the 430,000 micro-dramas released online in China in the first eight months of 2026 were AI-generated, Wang Xiaoliang, director general of the Department of Network Audio-visual Program Management under the National Radio and Television Administration, said Thursday.

The number of micro-dramas released during the period was 13 times the total for all of 2025, while nationwide users have exceeded 800 million. Wang said the widespread use of AI has opened new possibilities for creative expression and reduced production costs, while also raising challenges over content quality and rights protection. 

AI-generated micro-dramas are required to carry content labels, while platforms are required to ensure proper authorization for the use of people’s likenesses and voices. 

Regulators have removed 68,000 noncompliant micro-dramas and taken action against more than 1,200 accounts this year, with over 90 percent of the content involved in enforcement actions AI-generated.

(By Helen Mo, intern Yang Hongran)