{
  "id": 19338413,
  "title": "AI microdramas cause ‘aesthetic fatigue’, professor tells Macau forum",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/ai-microdramas-cause-aesthetic-fatigue-professor-tells-macau-forum-19338413",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-10T13:28:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3373984/ai-microdramas-cause-aesthetic-fatigue-professor-tells-macau-forum"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Beijing professor has cautioned at a Macau forum that formulaic AI-generated microdramas may stifle human creativity and innovation. Zhang Lanshan, from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, noted that while audiences enjoy standardized content, it poses risks to diversity and artistic endeavors. Experts from various Hong Kong institutions also warned about the potential for cultural homogenization and disinformation brought by large language models.\n\nMicrodramas, typically 60 to 120 seconds long, are published on social media platforms. They are often crafted using AI models like Jimeng and Xiaoyunque, which are trained on data from viral productions. Zhang explained that the \"golden six seconds\" at the beginning of each episode captures attention, followed by an explosive plot and a twist at the one-minute mark. This approach generates significant traffic due to audience preferences, but the proliferation of formulaic content can lead to homogenization and a lack of diversity and innovation in creative work. These productions also lack humanistic values and may cause aesthetic fatigue among audiences, lacking the quality of human-created content.\n\nWu Qiong, director of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design, echoed concerns about AI's impact on culture. She highlighted worries that AI's focus on common denominators and averages could smooth out differences between civilizations and cultures, potentially leading to cultural homogenization. Wu pointed out that Chinese accounts for only 1.1 percent of online content as of 2025, according to W3Techs, which is significantly lower than the 49.2 percent share held by English. Zhao Hai, vice-president of the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong, cautioned users about AI's risks despite its conveniences, such as eliminating language barriers. He noted that AI's answers might sometimes feel off due to the gap between its training data and human knowledge, which could reflect cultural differences or biases. Zhao emphasized the seriousness of the problem in Western societies, where it could lead to disinformation and the presentation of certain viewpoints as universal values. He stressed the importance of maintaining cultural diversity and openness, developing human-centered AI ethics, and recognizing that AI advancements may not necessarily foster human empathy.",
  "summary": "Formulaic AI-generated microdramas risk stifling human creativity and innovation, a Beijing professor has warned at a forum in Macau. Zhang Lanshan, a professor at the School of Digital Media and Design Arts at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said that while audiences loved such standardised content, it posed a risk to diversity and artistic endeavour. Experts, including…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}