From April 20 to 21, the iQiyi World·Conference 2026 was held in Beijing. During the event, iQiyi Inc. Senior Vice President Liu Wenfeng and Vice President & Chief AI Scientist Xie Danming engaged in discussions with media outlets including Sina Technology.
At the conference, iQiyi Inc. announced that over 100 deeply cooperative artists had agreed to join its AI agent platform, Nadou Pro's artist library. However, subsequent statements from several artists—including Zhang Ruoyun, Yu Hewei, Wang Churan, and Li Yitong—clarifying that they "had not signed AI authorization agreements" sparked significant public controversy.
Addressing the AI artist library, Liu Wenfeng emphasized that the commercial logic for actors remains unchanged, with projects still being managed through talent agencies. "The only difference is that after an artist signs onto a project, they may not need to be physically present for every scene. Instead, they film a portion, while another part is generated by AI and confirmed by the artist. Essentially, it is still the actor themselves performing," he explained.
Liu noted that, in the short term, incorporating familiar real actor faces into AI-generated works can enhance their appeal. iQiyi Inc. will act as a facilitator to meet the needs of actors, creators, and projects. Technologically, AI generation of realistic humans already supports long-form narrative filming, with some scenes being nearly indistinguishable from real performances.
Regarding audience acceptance of AI actors, Liu Wenfeng categorized them into two types: AI that mimics real actors and entirely new AI actors that do not exist in reality—similar to animated characters. Acceptance for the latter is gradually increasing. "Regardless of the artistic medium, the key is whether the story is well-told and whether a connection with the audience is established," he stated. He pointed out that the current "uncanny valley effect" is a transitional phenomenon, and audiences will evolve alongside AI. The stiff, repetitive AI works seen in some short videos do not represent the potential of professional AI productions.
Liu believes that AI-driven efficiency gains and creative originality are not contradictory but mutually reinforcing. Higher productivity, shorter production cycles, lower costs, and faster capital turnover can provide greater creative freedom. "In the past, projects often required investments of millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, limiting the number of parallel developments. With decentralization, many more projects can be initiated, actually expanding the space for originality," he added.
On the profitability of AI-generated film and television content, Liu Wenfeng asserted that audience willingness to pay hinges on high-quality, scarce content rather than production costs. He criticized the current investor practice of valuing projects based solely on cost, arguing that creative value lies in reach, which is not directly tied to production expenses.
He indicated that iQiyi Inc. monetizes AI content through membership and advertising models. Premium AI content can be included in the membership system for paid access, while broadly appealing content can utilize an ad-supported approach. As AI creators improve their storytelling capabilities, AI content will become high-quality, and its commercial value will be increasingly recognized.
At the World·Conference, iQiyi Inc. also announced the formal commercial launch of Nadou Pro. The platform, which entered pre-commercial testing in March, integrates large language models, AI agents, iQiyi IP, a digital asset library, commercial partnerships, and a creator community.
Xie Danming explained that Nadou Pro currently integrates leading domestic large models and gives users full autonomy to choose which model to use for creation. iQiyi Inc. has also incorporated its self-developed Qizhi model, optimized from open-source foundations, which supports professional tasks like dubbing and script evaluation.
Discussing Nadou Pro's business model, Xie Danming stressed that iQiyi Inc. does not expect the platform to generate substantial profits. Currently, services are offered at near operational cost, with the core goal being to foster a thriving creator ecosystem.
Liu Wenfeng clarified that Nadou Pro is open to all creators across the internet, with no requirement to publish works exclusively on iQiyi. However, creators who choose to publish on iQiyi will receive revenue sharing subsidies and support.
Xie Danming highlighted Nadou Pro's key advantages: dozens of AI agents and iQiyi Inc.'s deep understanding of professional film production, enabling support for various traditional roles. The platform accommodates both long and short-form video creation, with some agents already capable of producing engaging short videos.
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