AI-generated short dramas displace Chinese short drama actors
A 28-year-old Chinese short drama actor who specialized in CEO roles reportedly lost his income after AI systems capable of generating digital actors advanced rapidly in 2026. Zhang Xiaolei, who earned 30,000-40,000 yuan monthly from nearly 200 dramas, reported receiving no work offers and invested his savings to return to farming instead.
What happened
Zhang Xiaolei, a 28-year-old Chinese actor, had been active in the short drama industry since late 2023, specializing in domineering CEO roles and appearing in nearly 200 short dramas. His monthly income at peak was 30,000 to 40,000 yuan (approximately 138,000 to 185,000 New Taiwan dollars).
In 2026, after AI technology advanced to directly generate male and female actors for short dramas, production companies and streaming platforms began deploying AI-generated content. Zhang Xiaolei reported that work invitations sharply decreased and he faced zero job offers, directly attributing the loss to AI replacement.
As of April 2026, Zhang Xiaolei returned to his rural hometown in Qinghai province and invested 400,000 yuan (approximately 1.85 million New Taiwan dollars) to grow peppers and other cash crops, stating he had not yet recovered his investment.
Reported impact
Zhang Xiaolei lost his livelihood as a short drama actor and was unable to secure work, forcing him to transition to farming as his sole source of income.
The actor acknowledged that other performers in the short drama industry were also being displaced by AI, with similar patterns of widespread unemployment among real actors.
Index analysis
The displacement of short drama actors by AI-generated alternatives represents labor market disruption in the entertainment industry, where AI systems have become capable of replacing human performers in a highly specialized niche market.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.