Chinese streamer iQIYI uses AI to build slate of youth-skewing dramas

The first two instalments of The Ferry Man recouped their costs in a week

Chinese online entertainment platform iQIYI has unveiled a slate of more than 350 new AI-assisted titles for 2026/27 at its iJOY conference in Shanghai.

The company, which is looking to use AI to “revolutionise” longform content production, has developed a youth-focused slate of dramas spanning contemporary, historical, romance, suspense and sci-fi.

Its first full-length hybrid AI multi-season drama is Immortals Over Mortal Love (16×20′), which is set to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2026 and features live-action performances by professional actors alongside AI-generated content.

It comes after iQIYI said the commercial viability of longform AI-generated content was validated by The Ferry Man series, the first two instalments of which recouped their production costs within the first week of release.

The series generated over US$1.19m in cumulative platform revenue-share earnings in its first month, according to the streamer.

iQIYI chief content officer Xiaohui Wang discussed the changes reshaping the Chinese film and TV industry at the conference.

He said he wants to see the streamer become a destination for creators in an age when AI tools make the act of creating film and TV accessible to more people.

iQIYI founder and CEO Yu Gong discussed his vision of making the platform “a community for film and television creators and audiences where every creator can be seen, earn sustainably and be recognised.”

Several feature-length AI-generated films are also on the slate, spanning adventure, suspense, action, romance and animation. Nine projects were selected for production from more than 100 global submissions, with cinematographer and director Peter Pau on board to provide guidance.

The platform is also working on its horizontal-format shortform drama offering, while it is also working with Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on a slate of variety shows.