China Airs 30-Episode TV Drama Made Entirely With AI and No Human Actors

China has taken AI-generated entertainment into prime-time television with a 30-episode drama made without human actors, conventional filming or location shoots.

Post-Journey to the West is airing on Hunan Satellite Television and streaming on Mango TV, with episodes running for around 40 minutes.

Characters, environments and performances are created using artificial intelligence, making it one of the clearest examples yet of long-form AI television moving beyond short online experiments.

The production is also attracting attention because of cost and speed. Reports suggest it is being made for a fraction of the cost of a comparable traditional drama, while the team continues producing later episodes as the series airs.

The launch has already had a wider impact, with shares in Mango Excellent Media rising sharply after the premiere.

The bigger test will be whether audiences continue watching once the novelty of a fully AI-generated drama wears off.