Since 2026, the film and television industry has been undergoing significant changes as AI technology begins to dominate script generation, video editing, and the creation of micro drama prototypes. The rise of AI-powered micro dramas, virtual production techniques, and smart storyboarding has fueled the trend of “content creation for everyone.” While this shift has increased efficiency, it has also provoked anxiety within the industry: with technology reducing creative barriers, what truly defines the value of content?
This question has become central as the micro drama sector adjusts to new realities. Initially thriving on rapid plot twists, emotional thrills, and traffic-driven marketing, the industry now faces viewer fatigue and content homogenization. Platforms are shifting their priorities, focusing on retaining audiences, enhancing emotional value, fostering character connections, and improving production quality, rather than simply chasing views. The sector is moving from rapid growth to a phase of refined competition.
Amidst this evolution, a new wave of producers with cross-disciplinary skills is gaining attention. Their roles have expanded beyond traditional resource coordination and production management to include audience insight, narrative structuring, data analysis, and industrialized workflow management. Liu Yixian exemplifies this trend through his recent projects, which highlight the changing role of producers in the micro drama field. Instead of depending solely on traffic-oriented storytelling, Liu emphasizes “emotional operation” and refined content management, integrating audience profiling, process control, and data evaluation into his production processes.
Liu’s dramas, such as “The Breakfast Beauty Wants a Divorce,” which explores themes of marriage, female growth, and urban emotions, have achieved over 260 million views due to their realistic storytelling. Another work, “The Puzzling Noble Groom,” focuses on psychological tension and character development, garnering 68 million views. Viewers increasingly prefer authentic characters and genuine emotion over formulaic plots.
While AI is standardizing basic production tasks and reducing costs, the need for systematic content management has become a new benchmark. Liu suggests the industry may eventually split, with AI mass-producing standardized, low-cost content, while emotionally resonant works with cultural value become rarer. The debate has shifted from whether AI will replace human creators to what kind of content remains irreplaceable. Producers like Liu demonstrate that lasting resonance stems from a deep understanding of human emotions and societal observations—skills that technology cannot replicate.