Fruit Love Island takes social media by storm as AI microdramas set to surge
Fruit Love Island: the future of TV or a cultural dead end?
An AI-generated animated microdrama inspired by ITV Studios’ hit format Love Island has taken social media by storm, racking up hundreds of millions of views, as the volume of AI-made microdrama is set to surge on platforms such as TikTok.
Fruit Love Island apes the dating format using anthropomorphised fruit characters, complete with iconic coupling ceremonies, dramatic recouplings and cliffhanger eliminations.
The AI-generated, microdrama was first published on ai.cinema021’s TikTok and YouTube channels on March 13 and went on to generate more than 300 million total views.
Each of its 22 episodes lasts between two and four minutes and has averaged over ten million views.
Social media platforms have since reportedly begun removing the content from the creator’s accounts due to the videos being “low quality content,” although episodes remain available to watch on YouTube on various different accounts, with the show developing a cult fanbase.
ITV Studios, which distributes Love Island globally, has issued the following statement to C21: “The creativity of Love Island fans never ceases to amaze us and we are glad that they want to spend more and more time with the show. We are continuing to monitor this phenomenon, and while we encourage fan passion, we will take necessary steps to address unauthorised commercial use of our brand, trademark and assets.”
The show has been dubbed “the perfect example of AI slop” by internet commentators. However, according to a BBC News article titled, ‘Think Love Island is bad? Wait until you see the AI fruit version,’ the anonymous creator behind the popular videos defended Fruit Love Island in a post on TikTok, saying “hours” of work go into each video.
“I write the scripts, I plan the scenes and keep redoing things because the AI generation messes up constantly,” they wrote.
It comes as the microdrama craze continues to shake up the traditional TV industry, with many complaining about the low quality content that dominates the format, while others are teaming up with AI companies to ramp up production.
C21 has reported this morning that Canadian book publisher Harlequin and AI-native entertainment company Dashverse have partnered to coproduce 40 animated microdramas inspired by Harlequin’s romance novels.
Bogdan Nesvit, co-founder of Ukraine-based Holywater, in which Fox Entertainment invested last year, has said that use of AI in microdramas is set to surge in the coming years “because it’s faster, cheaper, and increasingly indistinguishable to the audience.”
Writing on LinkedIn, Nesvit said: “I spend a lot of time speaking with founders and executives across the industry. The level of underestimation of current and upcoming AI disruption – and the resulting inaction – is staggering.
“In China, AI-generated microdramas already account for 30% of total views. This number is growing fast. People who didn’t adapt are already out of the market.
“At Holywater Tech, AI-first revenue is already 30% and scaling fast. Our AI-generated series (based on human-written scripts) are already matching live-action in engagement and retention.
“TikTok is going all-in on AI-generated microdramas after successful tests. This is what disruption looks like before it becomes obvious to everyone.”
TikTok recently launched PineDrama, a standalone app dedicated to vertical, 60-to-90-second serialised, romantic and supernatural microdramas.
