19 October 2026 News

Enterprise : Alibaba Cloud On October 16, it announced that its virtual digital human product will be delisted, with new purchase services halting as of November 30, 2026, renewals and version updates ceasing on May 31, 2027, and comprehensive service discontinuation, console shutdown, support services termination, and refund channel closure on November 30, 2027. Alibaba Cloud A company spokesperson responded that this represents a normal delisting under product strategy adjustments and recommended users migrate to alternative solutions such as Mayi Lingjing Shuzi Ren (蚂蚁灵境数字人), Xiangxin Shuzi Ren (相芯数字人), and Yizhi Zhineng AI Zhibo Shuzi Ren (一知智能AI直播数字人). Mayi Lingjing Shuzi Ren (蚂蚁灵境数字人) The platform, developed by Ant Group, integrates speech recognition, semantic understanding, speech synthesis, virtual avatar rendering, and emotion recognition technologies to provide interactive, content-broadcast, and livestream-type digital humans in realistic, cartoon, and photorealistic styles; FaceUnity has built through a full-stack technology system encompassing modeling, driving, interaction, and rendering, serving over 20 sectors including smartphones, automotive, e-commerce, and finance, with mobile installation reaching nearly 1 billion devices and e-commerce livestream customers generating single-session GMV exceeding tens of millions; Yiwise focuses on e-commerce livestream scenarios with emphasis on “transaction-oriented digital employees,” having cumulatively generated approximately 300,000 digital human avatars for brand livestream rooms. Alibaba Cloud has not completely exited the sector, having partnered with Pingxing Yuzhou Keji (平行宇宙科技) in February 2026 to launch “Huiyu AI Shuzi Ren Zhibojian Xitong (惠宇AI数字人直播间系统),” with its role transitioning from product provider to computing power and cloud infrastructure supporter. Additionally, Xiao Yangbenshu Zhi Ren Shengchan Pingtai (小样本数智人生产平台) from Tengxun Yun Zhineng (腾讯云智能), Xi Ling Shuzi Ren Pingtai (曦灵数字人平台) from Baidu, and “Baidu Yijing (百度一镜)” (formerly Huiboxing (慧播星)) continue iterating, with Baidu’s digital human Luo Yonghao (罗永浩) having attracted over 13 million viewer sessions at Baidu Youxuan livestreams. iiMedia Research Reports indicate China’s virtual digital human core market reached 480.6 billion yuan in 2025, with projections reaching 935.6 billion yuan by 2030, with e-commerce, healthcare insurance, finance, and education sectors leading in application proportion, as the industry transitions from proof-of-concept to a new phase of homogenization in general-purpose products and head enterprises shifting toward computing power and foundational large model capabilities.

Marketing : A batch of AI digital avatars named “Xiaohai” have surged in large quantities on short-video platforms, exploiting sympathy from middle-aged and elderly users with a pitiful persona of “single parent, lacking maternal love, struggling on my own,” with comments sections filled with women in their sixties and seventies leaving messages like “Son, don’t cry” and “Mom loves you forever” when purchasing products such as donkey-hide gelatin cakes and matsutake mushrooms. Related videos have garnered over 600 million views, with a 79-year-old Xinjiang elderly person once traveling alone by vehicle to Yuncheng, Shanxi Province to “visit” Xiaohai, only to be dissuaded in time by railway police. Creators can purchase digital avatar generation tutorials for dozens of yuan, and by swapping faces and voices can mass-replicate accounts, with operators claiming “earning two to three thousand yuan a day is on the low end.” Beijinghangkonghangtiandaxue Faxueyuan (北京航空航天大学法学院) Associate Professor Zhao Jingwu (赵精武) points out that maliciously fabricating backstories to solicit sympathy for sales already constitutes fraud, and “AI-generated” labels cannot serve as an exemption from liability, with account operators or livestream room operators bearing primary responsibility; Beijingdaxue Zhengfu Guanli Xueyuan (北京大学政府管理学院) Professor Ma Liang (马亮) argues the root cause lies in elderly people’s “emotional vacant nest,” calling on platforms to shift from “elderly-friendly services” to “silver-age protection mode.” These digital avatars are derivative new images following the previous shutdown of the “AI Wang Jianguo” account. Meanwhile, “Ququ Danyounv” Le Chuanqu (乐传曲) (real name), which had been banned from multiple platforms, has had its associated company launch an AI emotional consulting app “Meiren Zhizhao (美人支招),” providing paid services such as chat analysis, reply scripts, and conflict simulations through its “AI alter ego” image, with approximately 230,000 downloads and revenue of around 3.75 million yuan within six months of launch. Actor Wu Yue (吴越) exposed in the early morning of October 18 that the account “Huajie Meizhuang Riji (花姐美妆日记)” used AI face-swapping and voice-cloning technology to forge his image for livestream selling skincare products, and fraudulently featured Olympic champion Deng Yaping (邓亚萍), with videos still marked “contains AI-generated content” but alleged to constitute infringement or fraud; previously actor Wen Zhengrong (温峥嵘) also self-disclosed being AI-impersonated appearing simultaneously in multiple livestream rooms for product promotion, with Douyin (抖音) e-commerce stating it has disposed of 11,000 irregular accounts involving impersonation of celebrities including Wen Zhengrong, Li Meijin (李玫瑾), Luo Yonghao (罗永浩), and Dong Yuhui (董宇辉). Henan Zejin Lvshi Shiwusuo (河南泽槿律师事务所) Director Fu Jian (付建) analyzes that using AI to forge another’s image for sales without authorization, even with AI-generated content disclaimers, still constitutes portrait right infringement, and cases involving serious circumstances with amounts reaching statutory thresholds may trigger fraud charges.

Entertainment : China’s AI short-drama market continues to expand, with ByteDance’s Hongguo Duanju (红果短剧) reaching 168 million daily active users, surpassing the combined total of Tengxun Shipin (腾讯视频), iQIYI, Youku (优酷), and Mangguo TV (芒果TV) four platforms, launching 430,000 micro-dramas in the first eight months of this year, with AI dramas accounting for over 90 percent. Actor Qi Wei (戚薇) unveiled an official digital avatar, debuting as the character Han Qingxia in the AI short-drama “End of Summer Apocalypse,” with facial modeling completed a decade ago and employing limited authorization while retaining script and final cut rights; actress Wang Zuxian (王祖贤) licensed her peak-age portrait from 20 to 30 years old to NetEase, Inc.’s game “All Under Heaven” after 22 years, producing an all-AIGC short film “Shadow Figure” that recreates the classic images of Nie Xiaoqian and Bai Suzhen through digital avatars, with the performer not appearing on screen and not participating in livestream selling. However, the industry has also seen the phenomenon of “AI short-drama leading ladies sharing one face,” with standardized templates of oval-faced, large-eyed, white-skinned heroines repeatedly appearing across different episodes and sparking trending discussions; Wuan Keji ( Jiaxing ) (午安科技(嘉兴)), Xian Yingye ( Jiaxing ) (熹安影业(嘉兴)) and other industry practitioners analyzed that creating original non-identical character images requires substantial investment in time, computing power and capital, while directly calling upon public-faced models from databases has near-zero marginal costs and lower infringement risk, resulting in a “race to the bottom” in the industry, with compliant digital character production currently relying mainly on real-person likeness licensing. Ying Yuzhou (映宇宙)’s short-drama related revenue has accounted for nearly half of the group’s total revenue, yet the company recently sold 40 percent equity in leading short-drama company Kuaichuang (快创), which generates over 1.2 billion yuan in annual revenue, for 80 million yuan and completely exited, citing intensified audience traffic competition and rising production and traffic acquisition costs that turned Kuaichuang (快创)’s net profit from gains to losses; Ying Yuzhou (映宇宙) plans to invest the proceeds into AI computing power and overseas business, while another short-drama asset Mei Guang Shengshi (美光盛世) remains held at 40 percent by the group. DataEye data shows that Douyin (抖音) launched 221,900 AI dramas in the first half, with only 1.3 percent achieving 50 million plays to hit the break-even line, as AI lowers production barriers but does not necessarily improve creator returns.

Cultural : Multiple locations are exploring AI digital human applications in cultural tourism scenarios. Relying on Fujiansheng Wenhua Keji Tepaituan (福建省文化科技特派团) resources, Fuzhoudaxue (福州大学)’s digital media arts department director Huang Xiaoyu (黄晓瑜)’s team has custom-built AI digital humans for Pucheng Meishuguan (浦城美术馆)/Fandian Meishuguan (范迪安美术馆), planning to serve as “AI curators” to represent the art museum’s digital image and lead digital interactive experiences within the venue, while the team has also developed an AI paper-cutting digitalized interactive experience system. Shenyang Intelligent Application Association president Zhang Yitian (张艺天)’s team created Northeast China’s first AI cultural tourism interactive drama “He Zhixuan’s Journey,” using the locally-developed digital human “He Zhixuan” as a carrier to precisely replicate Shenyang’s city landmarks and historical context, allowing audiences to customize character names and identities to trigger different plot branches for an immersive real-person viewing experience; Zhang Yitian simultaneously took the lead in establishing Shenyangshi Rengongzhineng Chanjiao Ronghe Chuangxin Jidi (沈阳市人工智能产教融合创新基地), coordinating with universities to bridge the industry-academia-research channel. Yancheng, Jiangsu introduced digital human “Salt Spoon,” live streams of good people, and other digital carriers into its Yancheng Haoren Guan (盐城好人馆), making moral exemplar stories interactive and perceptible. At the opening ceremony of Shiyan, Hubei’s 2026 International Wudang Tai Chi Culture Festival, AI digital human “Tai Chi Baby” traversed the golden summit clouds and flew across the Han River, with large screens simultaneously displaying global tai chi enthusiasts’ practice scenes, becoming a digital symbol connecting six centuries of cultural heritage with contemporary dissemination. Wuxi Hongshan Lvyou Dujiaqu (无锡鸿山旅游度假区) has undergone renovation and upgrading of Hongshan Yizhi Bowuguan (鸿山遗址博物馆), introducing AI digital humans and AR augmented reality technology to create holographic immersive exhibition halls. In Ningbo’s 2026 Yangtze River Delta International Youth Film Festival’s “Film + Technology” section, Chingmu showcased optical motion capture systems and digital human driving displays, presenting their application capabilities in virtual shooting and virtual production. iFLYTEK cultural tourism product line vice general manager Wang Dongxue (汪冬雪) proposed that AI large models, virtual humans, and personalized voice technologies can provide concrete and virtualized images for each IP character, giving them personality and individuality, while continuously providing emotional value through dialogue, though the greatest challenge for implementation in theme parks lies in deep integration with IP.

Education : The final of the Shandong Province University Student Artificial Intelligence Competition AIGC Digital Content and IP Incubation Track was held in Jinan on October 17, organized by Shandongsheng Kexuejishu Xiehui (山东省科学技术协会) and hosted by Shandongsheng Rengongzhineng Xuehui (山东省人工智能学会). The competition features five tracks covering static images, dynamic video, creative programming, digital human creation, and music creation, receiving over a thousand entries with 235 advancing to the finals, aiming to discover young AI creative talent and promote deep integration of AIGC technology with cultural creativity. On the same day, Licheng Zhiye Zhongdengzhuanye Xuexiao (历城职业中等专业学校) Digital Media Industry College was unveiled and established, jointly built by the university with Haikan Wangluokeji ( Shandong ) (海看网络科技(山东)股份有限公司) and Jinan Xunwang Hulianwangluo Keji (济南迅网互联网络科技有限公司), leveraging Haikan Jing Ling AIGC Yingshi Chuangzuo Pingtai (海看鲸灵AIGC影视创作平台) to provide teaching support in script writing, short drama production, and free canvas tools, covering micro short-form dramas, micro films, brand promotion, three-dimensional animation and game design, virtual reality and augmented reality content development and other directions. Both parties plan to continuously deepen AIGC industry-education integration and cultivate high-quality digital media professionals.

Gaming : At ChinaJoy ChinaJoy in 2026, the Gaotong (高通) “Xiaolong (骁龙) Theme Pavilion” added a new “AI Dream Space” exhibition area showcasing AI applications in digital avatars, game creation, and virtual companions. Players can use smartphones and tablets equipped with the fifth-generation Xiaolong (骁龙) Elite version to generate personalized 3D cybercity digital avatars in real time at the “Xiaolong (骁龙) Digital Avatar Workshop.” The venue also displayed an AI virtual pet interaction system comprising a Xiaolong (骁龙) platform-equipped Rokid AR Studio spatial computing suite, smart ring, and PC, allowing players to interact with virtual characters in real time through gestures, movements, and natural voice commands.

Ethical Contexts : Legal and ethical discussions surrounding the abuse of AI digital humans are intensifying. In an interview, Beijing Xing Ye Lvshi Shiwusuo (北京星也律师事务所) senior advisor Yu Zehui (于泽辉) pointed out that “AI face theft” refers to the use of AI to replicate, synthesize, or imitate another person’s recognizable likeness or even voice without consent and employ it in works such as short dramas, with the legal core being “recognizability.” He suggested that ordinary individuals wishing to authorize their faces and voices to create digital avatars for monetization should clearly specify in agreements the scope of authorization, intended use, duration, modification rights, and restrictions on sub-licensing, and require AI labeling on digital content. Those encountering AI face theft should preserve evidence immediately, then pursue remedies through platform complaints, agency representation for rights protection, or lawsuits claiming cessation of infringement, compensation for losses, and public apologies. Domestic precedents currently exist in which voice actors whose voices were stolen by AI received compensation ranging from tens of thousands of yuan to 750,000 yuan—involving miHoYo a case of game character voice theft. Regarding the “AI Little Hai” phenomenon, Beijingwanbao (北京晚报) commentary suggests that young netizens creating ironic videos of “evil Little Hai” in “magic clash” style, puncturing tearful narratives, represents a more effective educational pathway than mere preaching, and calls for platforms to strengthen AI identification and interception capabilities and for young people to help elderly individuals enhance AI literacy. On the Taiwan side, in early October 2026 at the Kaohsiung Pier-2 Taiwan Cultural and Technology Conference TTXC, the interactive work “2050 Emotion Trading Center” will be exhibited, where audiences can adjust weight parameters for gentleness, humor, exclusivity, appearance, and other attributes to generate personalized virtual AI companions, sparking discussions on the boundaries of AI companion-type partners and risks of emotional commercialization.