Artificial intelligence is reshaping the entertainment industry in Asia like China, India and Indonesia leading a wave of AI-produced series. AI models are now handling scriptwriting, character design, voiceover and video editing also allowing media companies to cut costs and speed up production.
In China, short AI-generated series designed for mobile viewing typically 2-5 minutes per episode have become a booming industry. Beijing-based Hello China Tech reports that over 14,600 AI-supported short series were released in January 2026 alone with the total number in circulation reaching 127,800 by February 2026.
Indonesia saw its first fully AI-produced television series, "Legenda Bertuah," a folklore-based show that began airing in January 2026. In India the media giant JioStar has embraced end-to-end AI production of a 100-episode series based on the Mahabharata epic that drew 6.5 million views on its release day in 2025.
Despite the rapid growth, viewers report persistent flaws of limited emotional depth, unnatural body movements, inconsistent eye contact and mismatched lip-syncing. Visual inconsistencies such as changing clothing, hairstyles or accessories between camera angles and repetitive background character movements have also been noted that though error rates reportedly decline in later episodes of a series.
An expert in AI and digital culture said that accessible creative tools are opening new economic opportunities, particularly in China's short-video economy and India's AI-driven film sector. The expert noted that ordinary creators are now producing content for audiences long overlooked by mainstream media.
Also added that while AI is often criticized in Hollywood for limiting creativity, countries like China and India view the technology differently as a tool empowering more people to bring their creative ideas to life.
