Pets, the best thing on the internet, meet artificial intelligence (AI) slop – arguably the worst thing on the internet. This combination has become a massive hit in China thanks to great interest from Gen Z netizens.
The entirely AI-generated videos, which are no longer than 90 seconds, depict animals living human-like lives and often reenact famous Chinese movies.
For instance, The Cat Daddy Chronicles series, which follows the life of a feline who raises a human baby, amassed over one million followers, Singaporean media outlet 8days reports. Some of its videos garnered more than 200 million views.
Low production costs and immense popularity made these shows highly profitable for the creators, with Gen Z accounting for a large share of viewers willing to pay to watch them.
According to 8days report, His Highness Bichon Rules The Empire, a historical series depicting the life of a bichon frise reclaiming her royal title after growing up in an orphanage, earned its creator 500,000 yuan (over $72,000) a month.
Microdramas are taking over the internet?
One- to two-minute-long microdramas – whether AI-generated or featuring real human actors – are gaining traction globally. Filmed in portrait orientation, they are designed to be watched primarily on smartphones.
US users now spend more time watching microdramas on mobile apps than they do watching Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video on their mobile devices, according to a recent report from Omdia.
It estimates that global microdrama revenues will reach $14 billion by the end of 2026. Of that, $3 billion will be generated outside China, with the US now the largest international market.
ReelShort and DramaShorts, platforms that are dedicated to microdramas, offer some videos for free, but their weekly subscriptions cost around $19.99 each.
Meanwhile, producing the microdramas costs between $100,000 to $300,000 per series, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which describes the budgets as “minuscule.”
In comparison, the star of the Netflix series Emily in Paris, Lily Collins, reportedly earns $300,000 per episode, contributing to the show’s massive production costs.
The business of microdramas is undoubtedly profitable, which requires a closer look into the reasons behind their popularity.
In China, they became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people were fighting boredom and seeking ways to “escape” from the grim news.
According to Tufts Daily, microdramas fit perfectly into scrolling culture, as they are quick, easy to follow, and steeped in familiar tropes like “wealthy CEOs, forbidden crushes, and supernatural twists.”
After all, looking for low-quality content to escape isn’t entirely a new phenomenon. Dime novels, telling straightforward stories and written in plain language, exploded in popularity in the late 19th century.
Low-quality soap operas, which peaked in the 1970s, explored similar tropes, again allowing viewers to avoid their uncomfortable realities.
We hate AI, but keep watching its slop
A recent NBC News survey found that 46% of Americans hold negative feelings toward the concept of AI, while only 26% report positive connotations.
OpenAI has faced intense backlash for sealing a deal with the Pentagon, with over 4 million people reporting participation in a boycott of its chatbot ChatGPT. This may suggest that people want less AI in their lives.
Yet data shows that AI slop is enjoyed worldwide. An analysis by Kapwing reveals that popular AI slop channels on YouTube garner billions of views, earning their creators as much as $4.25 million a year.
It may be hard to pinpoint why AI slop is so addictive. However, as we spend hours every day watching short, stimulating videos on social media, we may not be able to resist learning whether a daddy cat navigated all the hurdles of raising a human baby.
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