13 November 2026 News

E-Commerce and Live Streaming : During the 2026 JD.com 11.11 shopping festival, digital human technology was deployed at scale for livestream shopping and content production. JD.com disclosed that digital humans JoyAvatar drove GMV exceeding 1.8 billion yuan across the full cycle, served over 100,000 merchants, accumulated over 14 million hours of broadcast time, and notably handled over 3.6 million orders during late-night hours. Digital human livestream services covered 80% of livestream merchants and helped them save over 100 million yuan in operating costs. Meanwhile, JoyInside smart hardware entered over one million households. Collaborating with brands including Xinhua Yiliao (新华医疗), Foshan Zhaoming (佛山照明), Xiangshan (香山), Kai Misi (凯米斯), and Jingzao (京造), AI devices supporting dialect interaction were launched, completing over 70 million deep interactions. Jingdong Bailing (京东百灵) digital employees helped merchants conduct nearly 1.2 billion personalized interactions and completed “JoyMarketing Voice Survey” user research for Lianhelihua (联合利华)’s Lishi (力士) brand, compressing qualitative interviews that originally took over a month into completion within days. Five digital humans selected from the JD.com “I AI My Home·Star Host” competition officially went live on the evening of 11.11, receiving Beijing Jingkaiqu (北京经开区)-issued “digital idol identity certificates,” becoming the nation’s first licensed digital human group. They signed as recommendation ambassadors for brands including Hengjie (恒洁), Haier (海尔), and Xiaomi (小米). Their debut attracted over one million viewers with an average viewing duration of 5 minutes, representing a 650% improvement over industry average levels. JD.com simultaneously launched《JD.com 11.11 Cyber Gala·Crossing Surprises Night》, fully performed by digital humans depicting Northern Song Dynasty Bianjing storylines. Virtual digital character images from 12 brands including Haier Zhijia (海尔智家), Lenovo, and Huashuo (华硕) formed a “Twelve Beauties” girl group for the performance, with total livestream viewership reaching 60.96 million.

Entertainment and Short Dramas : During the 2026 Double 11 period, brands and platforms made substantial investments in AI digital humans and short-form drama content. Tmall launched an AI short drama titled “When the Shopping Cart Rings, Ancestors Arrive, Meow!”, inviting real-life actors Gan Wangxing (甘望星) and Liu Runming (刘润铭) as well as authorized AI avatars of Douyin influencers Qi Kexingxing (七颗猩猩) and Dian Dilahai (垫底辣孩) to perform together on stage. On October 15, Tmall’s AI-dol livestream featured real actors and authorized AI digital human Ning Zetao (宁泽涛) interacting in the same frame. Baiqueling (百雀羚)’s customized AI short drama “Spirit Jade Otherworldly Record” went online and garnered over 35 million views within 30 days, driving the debut sales of the new product Spirit Jade Frost to exceed 10 million yuan in transaction volume within 30 days. Wen Bixia (温碧霞)’s authorized AI avatar starred in “Nine-Tailed Deity Descends,” Quanyou Jiaju (全友家居) released “Beyond the Final Chapter,” and Tianmao Guoji (天猫国际) launched “Clumsy Restaurant,” all integrating brand products into AI short drama narratives. At Longwu Tea Town in Hangzhou’s West Lake District, Woqu Wan AI (我趣玩AI)’s platform unveiled an AI cultural-tourism short drama character-swap system, where AI generates scripts and digital humans perform, enabling “character swaps, scene changes, and product replacements” within dramas, and introducing AI travel portrait photography and “AI Drama Shopping” features that connect viewing to checkout, with initial collaborative dramas covering local culture, intangible cultural heritage crafts, and agricultural specialty products. Qinghai Delingha (青海德令哈) developed a cultural-tourism landmark using the filming location of the television drama “Tree of Life,” with the scenic area planning to introduce VR and AI technology to create an AI digital human of the patrol captain role played by Hu Ge (胡歌), allowing visitors to have conversations with the character and listen to stories about ecological protection in the Hoh Xil region. Huace (华策) launched China’s first AI dating variety show “Love Rebooted,” composed of five AI male guests and five AI female guests forming a complete virtual dating show lineup, scheduled to premiere exclusively on iQIYI on November 17.

Baidu Digital Human Platform : At the 2026 Baidu World conference, Baidu released a self-developed video generation model with three major capability upgrades: Wenxin Yijing (文心一镜) micro-expression large model achieves AU-level facial control, presenting 8-9 micro-expressions per second, enabling digital humans to move beyond “AI face”; video generation costs have dropped to 0.2 yuan per second, achieving 1:1 ultra-fast generation; real-time interactive response latency is below 2 seconds, supporting full-frame streaming output and unlimited-duration stable interaction. The conference also released “Duanmanju Studio (短漫剧Studio)”, which leverages script Agent and final-edit Agent collaboration to support one-stop short drama generation from inspiration or million-character novels, and combined with “script localization plus one-click style transfer” capabilities to facilitate short drama overseas expansion. A live demonstration showcased converting Chinese storylines to French versions and replacing faces with European actors. Wu Chenxia (吴晨霞), head of Baidu’s digital human innovation business unit, introduced that the model has partnered with renowned streamers such as Bannatie (半拿铁) to launch digital human podcast products, and in a collaboration case with Kekoukele (可口可乐), directly delivered TVC-grade creative films based on natural language requirements centered on the “Boya and Ziqi” theme; digital human anchors in Suobang Jiaju (索邦家居) flagship store live rooms can demonstrate product assembly and disassembly while responding to barrage comments. Baidu disclosed that Baidu has covered over 30 industries, with cumulative partnerships involving 200,000 streamers, generating over 1 billion digital human content pieces, and has consecutively ranked first in China’s AI digital human market share for two years. A video segment shown at the conference featuring digital human “Xijia Jia” interviewing Baidu founder Li Yanhong (李彦宏) was generated by Baidu, in which the digital human asked “can a digital human like me become a CEO”, and Li Yanhong responded “no”, emphasizing that AI can serve as a thinking partner to a CEO but cannot replace humans in setting missions and visions.

Public Services and Enterprise Applications : Digital human technology is being widely applied in government publicity and internal corporate communication scenarios. Beijing Ruanjian He Xinxi Fuwuye Xiehui (北京软件和信息服务业协会) leveraging the Capital Federation of Trade Unions public welfare partnership project, has created the “Jingjiang Shuzhi (京匠枢智)” model worker digital human lecturing brand, conducting employee legal education on the Labor Law and Trade Union Law, achieving round-the-clock, omni-scenario, and recyclable dissemination. Xinjiangshengchanjianshebingtuan Diliu Shi Wujiaqushi Shuju Ju (新疆生产建设兵团第六师五家渠市数据局) launched a government service digital human intelligent guidance platform, aggregating 1,086 government service processes and 5,055 policies and regulations, cumulatively providing 1,232 consultation services since pilot operation, with public satisfaction reaching 98.38%. Wuhan Shangxueyuan (武汉商学院) the School of Accounting’s “Miaoshou Chuansheng (妙手传声)” team brought its AI sign language recognition system to Wuhanshi Dier Longyaxuexiao (武汉市第二聋哑学校), converting sign language in real time into text and voice synchronized broadcast through a 3D digital human on screen, and formulating an “iteration list” based on feedback from special education teachers for continuous optimization. In addition, Tencent used “Huiboxing Shuzi Ren (慧播星数字人)” for reporting in videos debunking the “50% layoff” rumor and other livelihood news.

Legal and Intellectual Property Disputes : AI Digital Human Image Authorization and Portrait Rights Disputes Become Industry Focus. Actor Zhao Liying (赵丽颖) has sued Beijing Bimo Liuxiang Keji (北京笔墨留香科技有限公司), ByteDance and related individuals operating Hongguo Duanju (红果短剧) over portrait rights disputes, alleging that short dramas on the platform unlawfully utilized AI face-swapping and face-blending technologies to synthesize their facial features into short drama characters and covers for commercial traffic generation, seeking compensation of 810,000 yuan. The case went to trial on November 10 at Beijingshi Mentougouqu Renminfayuan (北京市门头沟区人民法院) and has not yet been adjudicated. Public reports show that since 2021, at least 24 entertainment professionals have suffered AI face-swapping and voice imitation infringement, including Di Lireba (迪丽热巴), Yang Zi (杨紫), Xiao Zhan (肖战), Luo Yunxi (罗云熙), Deng Wei (邓为), Wu Yue (吴越) and Zhou Xingchi (周星驰). Among these, AI short dramas such as “Rebirth: I Became My Mother’s Guardian,” “Capital Winds and Clouds,” and “An Yong Returns, the Emperor Pursues” have been identified with character appearances highly similar to real individuals. In response to infringement disputes, Hongguo Duanju (红果短剧) Creator Center released an announcement on November 9 regarding the “AI Drama Virtual Image Creation and Rights Confirmation Capability Launch,” allowing creators to submit real person authorization, IP authorization, or copyright registration materials to apply for rights confirmation. The platform has previously cumulatively removed over 20,000 non-compliant comics and conducted multiple rounds of specialized governance. Surrounding AI virtual human short drama endorsements and image authorization, multiple legal analysis articles point out that the use of digital virtual humans must comply with “identifiability” infringement determination standards, obtain separate written consent, clearly define authorization scope and duration, and complete classification filing and AI-generated content labeling in accordance with the “Micro Short Drama Development Management Measures” effective from September 1, 2026.

Culture and International Exchange : Wenming Hujian Guoji Luntan 2026 (文明互鉴国际论坛2026) was held from November 9 to 10 at Aomen (澳门), with the closing welcome banquet held at Longhuang Wetland Park, where digital human “Kiki” greeted guests on-site and jointly interpreted the integration of technology and humanities together with tai chi performances and song-and-dance performances by intelligent robots. In Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui, the “next-generation entertainment technology space” Pandabot Cafe flagship store worldwide, created by Juxing Chuanqi (巨星传奇), launched with “embodied intelligence + AIGC + top-tier IP” as its core, featuring AI digital human interactive screens in-store as “order takers” providing multilingual intelligent recommendations, and jointly forming a consumption scenario of “people, machines, and content” symbiosis with robot baristas, Yushu G1 (宇树G1) humanoid robot store managers, and UNI - DOGGIE (UNI-DOGGIE) robot dogs. On the Taiwan side, global cloud streaming and AI technology vendor You Bida (优必达) donated GPU servers to the Guoli Zhongyangdaxue (国立中央大学) Department of Computer Science and Engineering to support Chinese-language smart teaching, large language model evaluation, and Taiwanese speech technology research; You Bida (优必达) previously combined TAIDE large language models with AI virtual human technology and cooperated with institutions including Guoli Tainan Daxue (国立台南大学) to launch “Taiwan-English Wisdom,” a Taiwanese-English bilingual learning virtual human.

Industry and Capital Markets : The cyclical fluctuations of the digital human industry also became apparent in 2026. On October 16, 2026, Alibaba Cloud announced on its official website that its virtual digital human products would cease new purchases starting November 30, 2023, close renewal channels in May 2027, and shut down services completely in November 2027, with related technical support also being discontinued. The industry has interpreted this as a landmark event marking the triple retreat of virtual idols like Liu Yexi from technological spectacle, capital narrative, to commercial speculation, five years after their explosion in popularity. Simultaneously, multiple listed companies in the A-share market still carry the “virtual digital human” concept label, including Zhongqingbao (中青宝), Huanrui Century (its subsidiary Fenglin Huyu (凤麟互娱) previously produced interactive film-game works such as “A Land Divided,” and collaborated with Jieyue Xingchen (阶跃星辰) to explore AI productization of short dramas, interactive film-games, and drama series; the dialogue AI digital humans for characters in the series “Lotus Tower” previously received technical support from N Shijie (N世界)), Shiji Huatong (世纪华通), COL Group Co., Ltd., TRS Information Technology Co., Ltd., Wanda Information, Cloudwalk Technology, Haitian Ruisheng (海天瑞声), Hebei Broadcasting and Television Wireless Media (developing AI-based digital human interactive systems, completing image capture and modeling, hairstyle and clothing design, skeletal motion binding and other work, and integrating into pan-screen applications such as IPTV set-top boxes), and Jinpai Jiaju (金牌家居) (creating the industry’s first customized furniture digital human “Jin Chan Zi” in 2022). The market performance of related concept sectors continues to attract capital attention.