Character.ai Launches 3 AI-Animated Microdramas to Diversify Beyond Chatbots
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 9
Character.ai Launches 3 AI-Animated Microdramas to Diversify Beyond Chatbots
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 9
Summary
Three AI-driven animated series are debuting on Character.ai’s app, marking a push into microdramas as the chatbot company seeks new revenue beyond its core companion products.
40 days is Character.ai’s target production time for a full series, versus about six months for traditional animation, with Hollywood writers and artists feeding AI-generated episodes and follow-on character chats.
Under-18 users can watch the shows but cannot use chat features without age verification, a guardrail added after the company barred minors from chatbot use last fall amid lawsuits and scrutiny over alleged harms.
20 million monthly users give Character.ai a built-in audience for a crowded microdrama market, where it hopes subscriptions, paid episodes and fan-fiction-style engagement can extend last year’s estimated $50 million in sales.