By New Product Insight Finance, Author｜Wu Wenwu
After iQiyi launched its AI artist library, multiple artists quickly denied signing any AI-related authorizations, sparking heated discussions. Behind this, iQiyi, which is frantically pushing its new AI narrative, is clearly too impatient.
01 “iQiyi Is Crazy” Trends on Hot Search
At the 2026 iQiyi World Conference held on April 20, iQiyi officially announced the launch of its "AI Artist Library," with over a hundred artists already onboard. Names like Zhang Ruoyun, Yu Hewei, Wang Churan, and Li Yitong appeared on the big screen list.
iQiyi founder and CEO Gong Yu, in his speech, made remarks such as "AI can help actors go from acting in 4 dramas a year to 14, giving everyone more time to rest" and "in the future, live-action filming might become a world cultural heritage," which further fueled the discussion.
Several topics related to iQiyi quickly trended on hot searches, with the topic "iQiyi Is Crazy" even reaching the number one spot on Weibo's hot search list that day, drawing widespread attention and discussion.
However, iQiyi was quickly contradicted. After the list was released, multiple artists including Zhang Ruoyun, Yu Hewei, and Wang Churan urgently issued statements clearly denying having signed any AI-related authorizations. For example, Zhang Ruoyun's studio was the first to state that they had not signed any AI-related authorization and that their legal team was handling the matter urgently.
iQiyi officials had to quickly respond, stating that joining the iQiyi Nado Pro Artist Library indicates the artist's willingness to engage in AI film and television projects, but participation in any specific project or role requires separate negotiation and authorization.
iQiyi wants to build an AI artist library to provide a standardized platform for AIGC creators, making it easier for them to select artists and efficiently communicate collaboration details through iQiyi with the artists' representatives.
From the artists' perspective, being aware of such a matter but not having signed an authorization agreement is something that artists, who highly value their portrait rights, IP value, and commercial value, clearly cannot accept. It even touches their bottom line.
From the netizens' point of view, iQiyi's move is somewhat excessive. Some netizens commented that this seems like releasing the list first to pressure the artists into compliance. Others said the platform is treating actors as "consumables" without even a heads-up.
The incident also sparked discussions about the legal issues surrounding AI artists. Some lawyers reminded that an actor authorizing their image does not mean AI entities can freely use their likeness; portrait license agreements should clearly define the scope, duration, and manner of use.
From the perspectives of iQiyi, artists, users, and netizens, the considerations, usage points, value points, and impacts of AI are entirely different.
02 iQiyi Is Too Impatient
In recent years, talking about the long-form video platform iQiyi always evokes different images and opinions from the outside world.
For instance, whenever a hit TV series or web drama airs on iQiyi, it sparks discussions about iQiyi's ability to create hit shows and the commercial returns it brings.
However, more of the discussion we hear about iQiyi concerns how short video platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou have stolen users away, diverting user attention, especially with the popularity of micro-dramas, leading more people to abandon long-form video platforms.
According to the "China Network Audiovisual Development Research Report (2026)" released at the Network Audiovisual Conference in April 2026, the average daily time spent on micro-dramas was 129 minutes (December 2025).
iQiyi also faces competition from platforms like Bilibili and Xiaohongshu. "New Product Insight Finance" noted that many mid-to-long form videos on Bilibili now are not inferior to iQiyi in terms of category, quantity, and quality. Xiaohongshu is not just a content discovery platform; its short video content has also risen.
iQiyi's anxiety and pressure have long been directly reflected in its financial reports. According to iQiyi's financial report, for the full year 2025 ended December 31, 2025, the company's total revenue was 27.29 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 6.62%, marking the second consecutive year of negative growth after a 7.97% drop in 2024.
Notably, regarding profit calculations, the non-GAAP operating profit was 640 million yuan, a significant drop of about 73% compared to 2.36 billion yuan in 2024; calculated according to US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), iQiyi turned from profit to loss, with a net loss of 206 million yuan. In 2023, the company's net profit had peaked at 1.93 billion yuan.
In the fourth quarter, iQiyi's total revenue was 6.79 billion yuan, achieving both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter growth. The non-GAAP operating profit was 140 million yuan.
Facing intense competitive pressure and realistic operational pressure, iQiyi urgently needs to tell a new story. As all internet companies are successively telling their AI stories, iQiyi, not wanting to be left behind, has begun to constantly push its new AI narrative.
In the second half of 2025, iQiyi targeted areas like AI micro-dramas, AI comic dramas, and AI children's animation. During the earnings conference call in February 2026, it introduced a C-end story: AI character interaction, the Tao Dou World where users and virtual stars/IP characters chat in real-time and co-create storylines, and personalized AI editing that automatically clips highlights, secondary creations, and mashup videos for users.
Then came iQiyi's latest release: the official launch of Nado Pro + 100 artists' AI digital avatars, which unexpectedly caused such a controversy.
iQiyi founder and CEO Gong Yu also stated that the goal is to have a commercial AI blockbuster by this summer, or at the latest, this autumn.
In the view of "New Product Insight Finance," AI has become iQiyi's current lowest-cost and fastest-acting storyline, hoping to tell a new story and find a new growth point to boost market confidence.
At the end of March this year, iQiyi announced it had submitted an application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in a confidential manner to advance its listing in Hong Kong. iQiyi now needs to tell a new story to the capital market even more.
Clearly, for various reasons, iQiyi is frantically pushing its new AI narrative, but it is obviously being too impatient.
Senior media personality Hu Xijin commented on the iQiyi AI artist library incident, saying, "iQiyi高调宣布117位演员签约AI影视艺人库，并表示未来真人实拍可能将成非遗，我个人感觉很吃惊。" (iQiyi高调 announced that 117 actors signed with the AI film and television artist library and stated that live-action filming might become intangible cultural heritage in the future. Personally, I was very surprised.). Hu also clearly stated, "爱奇艺过于急功近利了。" (iQiyi is too impatient for quick success and instant benefit.).
03 iQiyi's AI Considerations
This release of the AI artist library by iQiyi was originally intended to be a major move, but it unexpectedly led to denial statements from multiple artists and sparked extensive discussions about iQiyi and the broader context of AI in film and television.
Every technological update and iteration profoundly impacts the video industry and long-form video platforms like iQiyi. For example, the last shift was from the PC era to the internet, followed by the popularity of short videos impacting long-form videos, forcing iQiyi to respond.
The latest wave of AI technology has an even greater impact on film, television, video, and video platforms. iQiyi can only embrace AI and continuously tell its new AI stories.
The application of AI in film and television is an inevitable trend, but its use in the industry has distinctly contrasting A and B sides; it is a double-edged sword.
On one hand, AI technology can significantly reduce costs, optimize creative processes, and improve production efficiency. In film shooting and post-production editing, AI is a magical tool.
On the other hand, although AI technology has advanced noticeably and reached a stage where the "fake" can seem real, AI creation has become data-driven, modular, and formulaic.
For example, the AI short dramas flooding short video platforms are full of plots like domineering CEOs and reincarnation reversals. The stories and tropes are highly similar, even with the same script generating different AI versions, making them very homogeneous and assembly-line like.
Therefore, iQiyi's first consideration is whether it should launch more AI tools, become an AI platform, or become the protagonist of AI? Yangtze Evening News commented on this, saying, "iQiyi, you were meant to embrace AI, not become AI."
At least for now, AI remains an辅助技术手段和工具 (auxiliary technological means and tool). AI stories will become more diverse in the future and will continue to progress.
The second consideration for iQiyi is: cold AI versus the sense of real people, who do audiences prefer?
For a long-form video platform like iQiyi, its core competitiveness still lies in high-quality IP, strong production capabilities, and the ability to produce hit web dramas and TV series. The key to these works is the script, the actors' performances, and the viewing experience they provide to the audience.
If there is too much AI in the works, even the main characters become AI, then the cold sense of AI will only intensify.
Viewers, especially iQiyi members, will always care more about the sense of real people in an excellent work, as the emotional expression and changes of a character can never be replaced by AI.
iQiyi should adopt different strategies. For instance, it can heavily promote AI in works like AI micro-dramas, AI comic dramas, and AI movies, but producing a high-quality work with AI is not necessarily low cost.
iQiyi's third consideration is to balance the interests of multiple parties: the platform, artists, and audiences.
As mentioned earlier, from the perspective of different participants in iQiyi's release of the AI artist library, there are indeed different starting points and considerations. Particularly, how to gain artist acceptance is a key point. Of course, the most important point is still the audience's acceptance of AI works.
In 2025, after the AI-generated "actor" Tilly Norwood emerged, the US Screen Actors Guild, followed by European and Canadian actors' unions,相继表态“坚决反对用合成角色替代真人演员” (successively stated they "resolutely oppose using synthetic characters to replace real actors"). Some international consensus suggests that AI can be a tool, but not the protagonist, especially not at the cost of sacrificing the livelihoods of real people and artistic dignity.
If we zoom out to the entire long-form video industry, the considerations brought by AI mentioned above are not just iQiyi's alone; they are shared considerations for everyone.
References:
[1] "iQiyi Is Crazy"? CEO Gong Yu Responds, Zhang Ruoyun and Yu Hewei Issue Emergency Statements, Jiemian News
[2] "iQiyi Is Crazy", You Were Meant to Embrace AI, Not Become AI, Yangtze Evening News
[3] iQiyi Financial Report, iQiyi
(This article does not constitute any investment advice)
