Tencent, Baidu-backed iQiyi, TVB embrace AI-generated content for dramas
iQiyi launches an ‘AI theatre’ in collaboration with Oscar-winning Hong Kong cinematographer and director Peter Pau
The latest development came from iQiyi, which on Thursday launched an “AI theatre” in collaboration with Hong Kong cinematographer and director Peter Pau Tak-hei, who won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 2001 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The initiative will select 15 teams to participate in a seven-day intensive creation camp, with each team receiving production subsidies, technical support, and ongoing mentorship from the Oscar-winning cinematographer. The content, expected to debut on iQiyi as early as the first quarter of 2026, would receive promotional support and qualify to share in any net profits generated.
Pau said at an event in Shanghai on Thursday that AI-generated content was “spearheading a visual revolution”, while iQiyi founder and CEO Gong Yu said “the moment when AI disrupts long-form and short-form video is imminent”.
This month has seen a slew of Chinese tech giants join the bandwagon for AI video generation. Last week, Tencent’s video unit launched an “AI short film competition” for content with a minimum duration of one minute that had at least 70 per cent of the content generated by AI. The deadline for entries is October 16.