Last year, Xu Peng’s face appeared almost daily on the smartphones of millions of people across China. He portrayed the role of an arrogant, wealthy, yet romantic young CEO in the short-form dramas that had become a nationwide sensation. Today, however, the spotlight has shifted. Under the scorching sun of a village market in Shandong Province, the 30-year-old actor now stands beside his grandfather selling vegetables—becoming one of the most visible examples of the disruption brought about by artificial intelligence (AI).
According to CNA last week, advances in artificial intelligence have transformed numerous industries. However, few expected the impact to arrive so rapidly in the entertainment sector, particularly in China’s booming vertical short-drama industry, which has become a major phenomenon over the past few years.
Xu Peng has experienced that transformation firsthand.
A graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, Xu previously appeared in several television series. However, his career truly took off after he transitioned to vertical short dramas during China’s micro-drama boom in 2025. Encouraged by his growing fan base, he began landing leading roles and quickly became one of the genre’s most recognizable faces.
His ability to portray dominant and charismatic characters made him highly sought after. At the peak of his career, Xu reportedly worked between 15 and 16 hours a day, filming on an almost nonstop schedule.
The success, however, proved to be short-lived.
Within a relatively brief period, AI began taking over much of the short-drama production process. The technology became capable of generating scripts, creating digital characters, and even handling post-production editing automatically. As a result, production costs dropped significantly while turnaround times became much faster than those of conventional filmmaking.
Industry data show that during the first quarter of 2026, approximately 122,000 of the 128,000 short dramas released in China were AI-assisted productions. In other words, more than 95 percent of new titles in the sector were created with the help of artificial intelligence.
The shift caused demand for human actors to decline dramatically.
After completing his final project earlier this year, Xu stopped receiving acting offers altogether. He eventually left Hengdian—China’s largest film and television production hub, often referred to as the country’s “Hollywood”—and returned to his hometown in Shandong Province.
There, his life changed completely.
The man who once spent his days in front of cameras now drives his family’s electric vehicle to the local market to help his grandfather sell vegetables. Some relatives admitted they were shocked by the dramatic turn in his fortunes. Several fans even visited the market simply to take photos with the former short-drama star.
Despite the unexpected career shift, Xu Peng has chosen to face the situation with resilience.
“Being an actor is just a profession. If there are no acting jobs, I’ll find another way to make a living. As long as I earn an honest living through hard work, there’s no obstacle I can’t overcome,” he told local media.
For Xu Peng, changing professions does not mean losing his sense of identity.***
