iQIYI opens AI film studio in Shanghai, starts first production

iQIYI has opened an AI film studio at its Creative Center in Shanghai and begun production on its first project there, the internet feature film Cop in Trouble, the online entertainment provider said on Oct 28.

The roughly 110-square-meter facility combines live-action shooting with AI post-production, equipped with multi-camera capability, synchronized high-resolution video and audio recording, digital continuity logging and real-time footage review. On-set footage syncs automatically to NadouPro, iQIYI's AI production platform, giving filmmakers access to nearly 30 AI models and hundreds of production-focused AI agents for generating new visual elements after filming.

iQIYI says the setup allows directors to adjust sets, lighting, costumes, makeup and props more flexibly while preserving actors' original performances, reducing timeline constraints and increasing efficiency. Zhu Liang, iQIYI vice-president and head of intelligent production, said the approach keeps performance "the core of any film or series" while opening greater creative space for filmmakers.

Cop in Trouble follows a low-ranking constable whose web of lies begins to unravel as he tries to take down a notorious outlaw. The production captures actors' interactions on set, from intimate conversations to coordinated action sequences, and uses that footage as reference for AI-generated environments and visual details, including character appearance, composition, lighting and spatial relationships.

The studio extends iQIYI's production chain from on-location and green-screen work to virtual production and AI-integrated filmmaking. It follows the company's Hengdian virtual studio, which iQIYI says delivered production efficiency gains of over 30 percent. The company positions the new facility as a resource for emerging directors and smaller teams, particularly in realizing imaginative worlds across genres.