Job concerns rise as AI-generated actors take roles

Artificial intelligence-generated actors are moving from online short dramas into advertising and other commercial settings in China, offering production teams a cheaper and more controllable alternative to human performers, while raising questions about employment and the future of the entertainment industry.

Li Xiaolong, a young actor and student at the Shanghai Theatre Academy who stars in the short play My Dual Control, said the growing use of AI performers could further narrow job opportunities for human actors as film and television productions face tighter budgets.

A friend working in Hengdian, Zhejiang province, one of China's major film and television production centers, told Li that fewer actors were working there, with some leaving the profession or taking jobs as costumed performers at tourist attractions. While anecdotal, the account reflects the uncertainty facing some performers.

AI performers give production teams greater control over expressions and movements through text-based instructions, while generally costing less than human actors, Li said. Producers can revise scenes by adjusting prompts, reducing the need for repeated filming. Opportunities have also become harder to secure for actors without a strong personal following. In Li's experience, even day-rate jobs that once paid more than 1,000 yuan ($150) have become difficult to obtain.

Despite these pressures, Li believes human performance retains qualities AI has not fully replicated. Audiences watching AI short dramas may focus primarily on the plot, he said, and AI performers may suffice when their expressions and actions fit the story. Some viewers, however, continue to prefer the realism and nuance of human acting.

Li recalled a teacher describing acting as: "Living people performing living people for living people". Building a role requires research into a character's background and relationships, along with emotional exploration that helps actors bring the character to life. Human performers can show how emotions develop, while AI-generated performances may deliver an immediate result without conveying the same process.

The commercial rise of AI actors can be seen in Fang Taozi, an AI-generated actress whose profile has grown alongside the popularity of AI short dramas. With blunt bangs, long straight black hair and two distinctive moles, she has developed a recognizable appearance and attracted a substantial following on short-video platforms.

The AI drama The Laid-off Girl, which debuted on Douyin on June 12, helped bring Fang to a wider audience. By Aug 25, her Douyin account had more than 510,000 followers. On Aug 27, fashion magazine Cosmo Crush previewed her on its official Weibo account, showing how AI-generated characters are entering spaces traditionally occupied by human celebrities.

For advertisers, an AI character with a recognizable face and an established following can become a vehicle for product promotion. AI characters can maintain a consistent appearance and appear in different scenes without the logistical demands of filming with human performers, making it easier for brands to adapt materials for campaigns.

Rates listed on Douyin's Xingtu influencer marketing platform for Fang Taozi have reportedly ranged from 168,000 yuan for videos of up to 20 seconds to 208,000 yuan for videos lasting 21 to 60 seconds and 258,000 yuan for videos longer than 60 seconds. Though it should be noted that listed rates do not necessarily reflect actual transaction values or earnings.

Production costs can also be lower. Some industry reports have put the cost of AI short dramas at around 80,000 yuan per minute, though expenses vary with complexity and production methods. The DataEye Research Institute has estimated that China's market for AI short dramas, including animated dramas, could exceed 40 billion yuan in 2026, up about 138 percent year-on-year. It estimated that the market had exceeded 22 billion yuan in the first five months. These figures, though, cover AI short dramas broadly, not AI actors alone, and are industry estimates rather than official statistics.

Hou Wenjie, secretary-general of the Shanghai-based research institute Yu Ce Think Tank, said the commercial value of AI actors has moved beyond proof of concept into actual monetization.

Fang Taozi's case illustrates three factors behind this shift, Hou said. First, operational strategy matters more than the technology alone. Rather than appearing only in isolated videos, Fang has an independent account that regularly publishes lifestyle content, including cooking, fitness and commuting. This recreates the sense of everyday companionship associated with human influencers, helping build audience loyalty and support advertising rates.

Second, the monetization model is taking shape. Hou said reported rates of around 160,000 to 250,000 yuan per video exceed those charged by many mid-tier human influencers. AI actors offer brands greater control, predictable scheduling and fewer risks associated with personal scandals, potentially making collaborations easier to manage and less costly.

Third, the projected 40-billion-yuan market and estimated 138 percent annual growth point to demand for content produced efficiently at a lower cost. AI actors are positioned to help meet this demand, Hou said.

Looking ahead, Hou expects AI characters to move beyond short dramas into lifestyle content. Vlog-style accounts that develop recognizable personalities could become more common, although repetitive formats may lead to audience fatigue. Brand partnerships could expand from one-off advertisements to longer-term endorsements and co-branded products. Advances in multimodal AI could also make expressions, movements and interactions with different environments more natural while reducing production costs.

Hou said the industry's development would require greater attention to virtual-person advertising labels, likeness rights and content authenticity. The commercial value of AI actors is real, he said, but their long-term competitiveness will depend on character development and content innovation rather than technological novelty alone.

Popularity does not guarantee sustainable commercial value. Brands still need to consider audience trust, product suitability and whether a character can maintain engagement beyond a viral hit. The reported removal of an advertisement featuring Fang Taozi over concerns that its claims could mislead consumers highlights the risks of using AI-generated figures in commercial messaging.

The technology has also prompted debate over whether AI characters resemble existing performers too closely. As their appearances become more realistic, questions over likeness, intellectual property and the boundary between imitation and original creation are likely to become more prominent.

The impact on human performers may vary across the industry. Li believes stage performances, including plays and musicals, may be less affected because they rely on live skills and interaction with audiences. Such work requires strong professional foundations, however, and some actors whose experience is mainly in screen productions may find it difficult to move into the field.

AI actors and human performers have already shared the stage in some productions, Li said, but such integration remains less common in film and television. He believes the two do not yet fit convincingly into the same scene in many cases, sometimes making the result look artificial. He expects closer integration as the technology develops.

The future may involve more than a contest between virtual and human actors. AI could take on repetitive or technically demanding tasks, while human performers remain important in roles requiring complex emotional interpretation, live interaction or a distinctive personal presence. Yet if AI performances continue to improve and costs remain lower, demand for some categories of human labor could decline, particularly in productions where speed and budget are the main considerations.

For entertainment companies, AI actors offer a way to control costs and test new formats. Their popularity does not necessarily signal the end of demand for human performers. The industry's challenge is to identify where AI-generated characters can create commercial value while recognizing the craft, experience and emotional depth human actors bring to storytelling.

zhengyiran@chinadaily.com.cn