Summary of Key Points
This year, the AI short drama industry has appeared lively, but in reality, it’s more about “losing money to attract attention”: out of 77 new dramas, only one was able to break even, and less than 0.5% of the over 220,000 AI dramas on the entire platform have achieved over 100 million views. What’s even more concerning is that the production costs saved by AI are largely offset by the high costs of traffic promotion, meaning that any savings are quickly spent. As a result, the industry is in a predicament where it’s able to attract viewers but not generate profits.
Detailed Analysis
1. **“AI Short Dramas: Popular on the Surface, but 99% of Projects are Losing Money”**
The data speaks for itself: only one out of 77 AI short dramas this year made a profit, indicating that 98.7% of the projects were unsuccessful. Of the more than 220,000 AI dramas, less than 0.5% (about 1,100) have reached 100 million views. The rest have either very low viewership or haven’t even covered their production costs. Why is this the case? Many people think that AI makes production faster and cheaper (for example, a traditional short drama might cost 100,000 to produce, while an AI drama might cost only 10,000), so they flock into the market without realizing the core issue: if the content isn’t engaging, even cheap production is futile.
2. **AI Reduces Costs, but Doesn’t Solve the Problem of Poor Quality**
AI can help with rapid script writing and image generation, but the resulting stories often follow predictable tropes (such as the villain falling in love with the heroine, time-traveling for a comeback, or conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law). These clichés have long lost their appeal to viewers. The dialogue also sounds robotic, and the generated images lack detail (e.g., stiff character expressions and repetitive scenes). Without compelling content, even low production costs won’t attract viewers, resulting in low viewership and no revenue from ads or product placements.
3. **Traffic is a Costly Burden**
To get viewers to see AI short dramas, production companies must pay for traffic. Platform algorithms ensure that dramas are promoted; otherwise, they won’t be seen. As a result, companies spend money on recommended spots and information flow ads. For instance, if an AI drama saves 50,000 in production costs but spends 80,000 on traffic, the savings are lost, and there’s even a loss of 30,000. Worse still, even if traffic is purchased, viewers may leave after just 10 seconds, making the investment ineffective. This is why the cost savings from AI are quickly offset by the high cost of traffic.
4. **AI Short Dramas Need to Break Free from Technological Dependence**
AI isn’t a panacea; it’s just a tool. To be successful in the future, the following are necessary:
- Engaging Content: Use AI to create a draft and then have humans revise the plot to add genuine emotional details and avoid clichés.
- Diverse Themes: Stop focusing on typical stories about wealthy villains and try ordinary characters (e.g., delivery workers or new employees in the workplace) to create more relatable content.
- Diversified Revenue Streams: Rely on more than just platform commissions; consider options like paid streaming (e.g., 1 yuan per episode), brand partnerships (e.g., featuring a certain brand’s drinks in the drama), or product placement (e.g., linking to products worn by characters).
Only by combining the efficiency of AI with human creativity can companies truly make money, rather than wasting resources on mass-producing low-quality dramas.
In One Sentence
The problem with AI short dramas isn’t with the technology itself, but with its misuse—focusing solely on cost-cutting while neglecting the need for high-quality, engaging content. Without addressing these issues, even the hottest trends will lead to financial losses.