Raising the bar
The same technologies that have opened new opportunities have also created new problems.
Advances in AI video tools, including multimodal systems such as Seedance 2.0, have lowered the barrier to entry for animation production.
"Right now, almost everyone is using Seedance to make videos," Tang said.
But a lower barrier also means a flood of uneven work.
Platforms have begun tightening control over AI-generated short dramas. Hongguo, a Chinese short-form drama platform under ByteDance, said it removed more than 1,700 policy-violating manju in the first quarter of 2026.
In May, Hongguo issued clearer and stricter content guidelines, clamping down on themes related to history, politics, minors, pornography and excessive violence, aiming to provide much-needed clarity for the industry's bewildered producers.
The initial gold rush is giving way to pressure for higher standards.
"Great works demand time and investment. Only those who survive fierce market competition will have the chance to create true masterpieces. It is simply a matter of time," Jin said.
For Jin, the lesson is clear: embracing AI does not mean abandoning basic creative skills. Story structure, visual rhythm, emotional judgment and aesthetic taste remain essential. AI can generate countless images, but humans still decide which ones matter.
The industry, he said, is undergoing a transition similar to cinema's shift from film to digital. The tools are changing, the workflow is changing, and the definition of an animation team is changing with them.
"Once that shift begins, the tide of history is hard to stop," Jin said."In the short term, there will certainly be many problems, but people will keep working on them, and things will improve over time."
AI has made animation faster and cheaper. The next challenge is making it better.
