AI is replacing production jobs in China’s micro-drama industry. One leading company still grew from around 2,000 employees to 10,000+ in eight months.

In Hengdian, one of China’s major filming hubs, the average number of active productions fell around 25% yoy in H1 2026. An AI-generated micro-drama can cost roughly 10–15% of a conventional live-action production. Fewer people are needed to make each title.

But one leading AI micro-drama company grew from just over 2,000 employees at the beginning of 2026 to more than 10,000 by the end of August. Jiuzhou Culture also expanded from around 1,500 to 4,000 employees in roughly six months, even while cutting its live-action production capacity by more than half.

Is AI ultimately creating jobs or destroying them in this industry?

China’s micro-drama industry is giving us an unusually concrete early case to study this question. We unpack what is happening behind these seemingly contradictory numbers in our latest MWI article: https://momentumworks.substack.com/p/is-ai-creating-or-destroying-jobs?r=7qc75y&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

https://momentumworks.substack.com/p/is-ai-creating-or-destroying-jobs?r=7qc75y&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web