Christine Li, a Chinese model and influencer, says she was startled to find her face recast in an AI-generated microdrama that she never agreed to appear in, turning what might once have been a niche grievance into a wider test case for China’s fast-growing short-video industry. According to AFP, the series, "The Peach Blossom Hairpin", ran on Hongguo, a ByteDance-owned platform that has become one of the most prominent homes for bite-sized soap operas. Hongguo later said it had removed the show for breaking platform rules and contractual terms, while also pledging to tighten its review system.

Li says the production appears to have relied on photographs she had posted online, and she was not the only person to recognise himself in the drama. A traditional-costume stylist who uses the pseudonym Baicai told AFP that a character based on his image was cast as Li’s husband and portrayed as sleazy, raising concerns about damage to his work and reputation. China Daily reported that public anger over the show intensified after several people said their facial features, outfits and make-up had been copied without permission, and that the drama drew more than 40 million views on Hongguo.

The case has exposed how quickly AI tools are colliding with personal-rights law and platform responsibility. Reuters and AFP reported that Chinese rules place the main burden of content checks on platforms, with mandatory reviews for low-budget microdramas and tighter licensing requirements now also covering AI-generated animation. A Beijing lawyer quoted by AFP said using someone’s likeness in a degrading way could amount to an infringement of portrait and reputation rights. Separately, China Daily said regulators have been pressing firms to ensure that technological progress does not come at the expense of individual rights.

For Li, the immediate worry is not only legal redress but the longer-term effect on her career, with the model saying she fears being associated with controversy. Baicai, meanwhile, has not filed suit, but wants stronger safeguards and clearer accountability, arguing that there may be many other victims who never come forward. The episode has also fed a broader debate in China over whether the low-cost economics of AI microdramas are outpacing the rules meant to govern them.

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Source: Noah Wire Services