AI Videos Are Taking Over Your Phone — Here’s Why
Cheap AI shows are flooding apps, putting real actors out of work — and you’re watching them.
In May, 89 of the top 100 animated videos on Chinese TikTok (Douyin) were AI-generated, according to a Financial Times analysis, and a Chinese trade group says 95% of 128,000 microdramas produced in early 2026 were AI. The author notes spotting someone on a Los Angeles bus watching what appeared to be these videos, subtitled in Spanish. NHK reports AI videos take one-fifth as long to produce and cost one-third as much as filmed equivalents. According to FT, real actors now reportedly have their "essences distilled" for digital use, with one unnamed children's TV host saying she was "pretty much pinned against a wall" and required to undergo it. The result is ultra-cheap content that threatens livelihoods.
- 9 out of 10 top microdramas on China’s TikTok are now AI-made, up from almost none a year ago
- AI videos cost 90% less and take weeks instead of months to produce — but real actors are losing jobs
- You’ve likely seen AI videos on buses, planes, or social apps — short, repetitive, and designed to hook viewers
Why It Matters
AI is filling your screen with cheap, endless video — changing how you watch, who gets hired, and what stories get told.