Why viewers can't stop watching AI-generated short dramas

Once unattracted to AI-generated videos because the characters looked fake, Pham Tuan, 27, in Hanoi has spent 6-8 hours a day in the last two months watching AI short films.

He rarely used to watch entire TV serials, but when AI short films appeared on social media, he clicked on a sci-fi/action episode of just over a minute and was immediately hooked.

He then downloaded a movie app and paid money to watch all the episodes. The plot revolves around a main character who is looked down upon, only to suddenly reveal their true identity and punish their rivals.

"The feeling at that time was vindicating and soothing," Tuan says.

He thinks the appeal of AI short films lies in the characters’ attractive faces, constantly changing settings, and fast-paced editing that keeps viewers glued to the screen. A film consists of 40 to 60 episodes, which he usually finishes in an hour. On some days, he spends 12 hours straight staring at the screen.

Pham Tuan, 27, from Hanoi, pays money to unlock full sets of AI films. Photo by P.T

Thuy Trang, 25, of HCMC says her parents have changed their daily routines because of similar videos: Her father likes martial arts films and her mother watches family melodrama.

The detailed arc causes them to mistake the characters for real human actors, she thinks.

"Last week, my mother asked me to top up VND150,000 (US$6) in an app to unlock all episodes of a series. Often during meals, the two of them don't say a word because they are staring at their phone screens while eating, while phone calls from their children are cut off because they are busy following the next episode."

On social media, discussion boards on AI dramas have attracted huge interest. Most people admit to "watching regularly" despite knowing that most dramas have "a similar plot."

Many apps with AI short dramas have seen hundreds of thousands to a million downloads. Data from consulting firm Deloitte shows that global revenues from in-app short dramas reached $3.8 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit $7.8 billion this year.

In Vietnam, a report earlier this year by market intelligence platform Sensor Tower said short drama apps have become one of the most popular entertainment applications, and are no longer niche products. Short drama apps also surpassed OTT (over-the-top) streaming services in terms of download volume during the fourth quarter of 2025.

"These formulas directly tap into psychological compensation mechanisms. Viewers experience a sense of victory on behalf of the character in a short span of time."

From a media research perspective, Dinh Ngoc Son, lecturer at the faculty of marketing and communication at the Hanoi School of Business and Management, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, says AI gives viewers a sense of new visuals even if they are actually consuming formulaic tropes.

"The constant barrage of rapid-fire conflicts shrinks the patience threshold for content requiring analytical thinking," he say.

He warns about the risk of cognitive dissonance when the boundary between real images and AI content is blurred. The fact that AI characters express emotions just like real humans makes it difficult for the cognition of older audiences and children, often even teenagers.

"Nevertheless, AI technology itself is not inherently harmful," Son says. "There could be negative impacts only when users lose control over their consumption duration."

A study published in the journal NeuroImage in 2023 by the U.K.’s Oxford University claimed that people who consumed short videos for more than 3 hours a day experienced a significant decline in gray matter density. Short dramas condition the brain to seek quick dopamine hits. The long-term consequence is "a decline in deep thinking capacity and patience." Many users admit to experiencing irritability, feeling like their brain "slowed down."

According to the same Oxford study, short dramas can also increase anxiety and social isolation. Although initially viewed as a stress-relieving remedy, reliance on virtual videos can "reduce empathy and emotional connection with real people." Viewers easily slip into feelings of emptiness and pressure when comparing themselves to perfect, exaggerated images online.

After two months of habitually watching AI short dramas, Tuan began to feel mental and physical fatigue.

"The revenge and rags-to-riches stories on screen brought fleeting satisfaction, but when I turned off my phone, I remembered nothing and frequently suffered from headaches due to sleep deprivation," he says.

He has since uninstalled movie-watching apps.