NetEase and iQIYI Go All-In on AI, But Users Aren't Buying It

Introduction: Content Giants' AI Frenzy

In 2025, the AI wave is sweeping through everything, and the content industry is bearing the brunt. NetEase Games has announced deep AI integration across its entire game development pipeline — from character design and scene modeling to NPC dialogue generation — with nearly every stage experimenting with AI-driven "efficiency gains." Meanwhile, iQIYI is aggressively pushing forward with AI-assisted screenwriting, AI-generated trailers, AI-driven personalized recommendations, and other technology implementations.

The logic of these two giants is clear: use AI to reduce content production costs, shorten development cycles, and seize first-mover advantage in a fiercely competitive market. However, user reactions have been unexpected — they are not pleased.

The Enterprise Side: An Efficiency War That Must Be Fought

From a business management perspective, embracing AI is practically a mandatory question on the exam.

NetEase Games has recently revealed at multiple public events that the company has fully integrated AI tools into its art asset production pipeline. According to internal data, AI-assisted modeling can compress the production cycle for certain scene assets from weeks to days, boosting efficiency by several times over. NetEase CEO William Ding has repeatedly emphasized during earnings calls that AI is one of the most important technological directions for NetEase Games going forward.

iQIYI has been equally active. CEO Gong Yu previously stated that AI will fundamentally change how film and television content is produced. iQIYI has already piloted AI-assisted screenwriting in select projects, using large language models to generate plot outlines and dialogue drafts, which are then revised and polished by human writers. Additionally, the platform has launched AI-generated short video content and interactive narrative features in an attempt to pioneer new content formats.

Under pressure from capital markets and the pull of industry competition, "fail to use AI and you'll be left behind" has become a consensus among content industry executives.

The User Side: A Trust Crisis Over Quality and Sincerity

However, corporate enthusiasm has not translated to the user side. On the contrary, a mood of dissatisfaction and wariness is spreading across communities.

In the gaming sector, player community criticism of AI-generated content has been particularly sharp. Many players have expressed on forums and social platforms that they can clearly perceive a "cheap feel" in AI-generated materials in certain games — inconsistent character illustration styles, scene details that don't hold up under scrutiny, and NPC dialogues that lack soul. One player put it bluntly: "I'm paying for the heart and soul of human creators, not canned goods off an AI assembly line."

In the film and television space, audiences are equally skeptical about AI participation in the creative process. When it was reported that iQIYI had used AI-assisted screenwriting in some projects, social media erupted with a wave of questioning. The core concern among users is: when AI begins to replace human creators, will the uniqueness and emotional depth of content be sacrificed?

The deeper conflict lies in the fact that users have keenly perceived that what companies call "AI empowerment" is essentially a form of cost transfer. Production costs have decreased, but content prices haven't dropped accordingly; efficiency has improved, but the saved budget hasn't been reinvested into content quality. What users feel is not "a better experience" but "cheaper corner-cutting."

Deep Analysis: What Does AI Really Mean for the Content Industry?

This cognitive disconnect between enterprises and users reflects a more fundamental question: what does AI actually mean for the content industry?

From a tool perspective, AI is undeniably a productivity revolution. It can handle large volumes of repetitive labor, freeing up creators' time and energy to focus on more creative work. Ideally, AI should be an "amplifier" for human creators, not a "replacement."

From a business perspective, AI's allure lies in its ability to significantly compress costs. But the problem is that if companies view AI merely as a "money-saving tool" rather than a "quality lever," the final output will inevitably disappoint users. The core competitive advantage of the content industry has never been efficiency — it has always been quality and emotional resonance.

From a user perspective, the fundamental motivation for paying for content is to obtain unique experiences crystallized from human wisdom and emotion. When AI's involvement is overexposed or even abused, the "aura" of that experience is shattered, and users' willingness to pay declines accordingly.

Notably, users are not categorically opposed to AI. Surveys show that most users maintain an open attitude toward AI, provided that its application delivers perceptible improvements in experience rather than merely serving corporate cost-cutting objectives. In other words, what users oppose is not AI itself, but the abuse of AI at the expense of quality.

Outlook: The Content Industry Needs to Find the "Right Way" to Use AI

Standing at this juncture in 2025, the integration of AI and the content industry is an irreversible trend. But how that integration unfolds will determine the industry's trajectory for years to come.

For leading companies like NetEase and iQIYI, the urgent priority is to recalibrate their AI strategy — placing "user experience improvement" above "cost reduction." Every penny saved by AI should have a portion reinvested into polishing content quality, allowing users to tangibly feel the value that technological progress delivers.

At the same time, the industry needs to establish more transparent standards for AI usage. Informing users about which stages involve AI and what role AI plays gives users the right to know and the right to choose, rather than allowing distrust to build amid information asymmetry.

Ultimately, AI is a means, not an end. The ultimate question for the content industry has always been: how to create works that move people's hearts. If AI can help creators better achieve this goal, users will naturally embrace it. If AI merely becomes a fig leaf for cutting corners, then no amount of advanced technology can recover lost reputation.

In this contest over AI, the final judges are not the technology itself, but the millions upon millions of users who vote with their wallets and their feet.