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Q1 AI Manhua Talent Rush: 70K High Salaries for AI Talent, Are Big Tech Firms Crossing Over?

(The author of this article is DataEye, published by Titanium Media with authorization)

Text | DataEye

The 'Golden March, Silver April' recruitment peak season has arrived, marking the annual golden period for the job market.

Recently, the topic 'Big tech companies offering 30k monthly salaries to fiercely compete for liberal arts students' made it to the trending searches. The employment of liberal arts and science students has always been a hotly debated topic online.

Moreover, since the start of this year, iterations of various AI models have also given rise to positions such as AI generation specialists and AI trainers, fueling ongoing discussions about how 'liberal arts students are making a comeback!'

In the midst of the recruitment peak season, DataEye Research Institute compiled over 1,000 job postings related to 'short dramas and manga dramas' from major recruitment websites, community forums like Juchacha, and leading tech firms’ career pages. From a data-driven perspective, combined with frontline industry insights, we will discuss which roles are most in demand in the short drama and manga drama industries and which majors are the most sought-after.

According to the data organized by DataEye Research Institute, the industry is rapidly transitioning from live-action short dramas to AI manga dramas.

In Q1 job postings related to short dramas and manga dramas, the requirement of being 'proficient in using one or two AI tools' appeared more than 300 times, covering almost all niche roles including screenwriting, production, operations, and art design.

Among these, the requirement of 'being adept at managing large language models and writing effective prompts' showed up 198 times, becoming an essential skill for core roles like directors and artists. Even traditional production and operation roles are now expected to acquire AI competencies. Behind these sets of data lies the industry’s urgent need for AI technology, signifying that the entire sector is swiftly moving from live-action short dramas towards AI manga dramas, entering a new phase of development.

Additionally, short drama producers' anxiety about AI is far more severe than imagined. Leading short drama powerhouses like Jiuzhou, Malt, and Rubik's Cube are accelerating their layout in manga dramas.

Shuijiao, a graduate student in overseas film production management, interviewed at a top short drama company in Guangzhou earlier this year. Although the initial job description did not mention any requirements for AI tools or capabilities, and despite applying for a live-action short drama producer role, the interviewer repeatedly steered the conversation towards AI manga dramas, expressing hope that she would possess some experience in AI manga drama projects.

At that time, AI anime series had not yet evolved into a stage of rapid development. Various companies were still in the exploratory phase, but producers of live-action short dramas were already expressing concerns about anime series through subtle details in job postings.

However, just before starting work after the New Year, the supervisor informed Shuijiao that the team was now planning to transition heavily towards producing AI anime series, reducing the need for live-action short drama production. They asked her if she had experience in overseeing workflows for AI anime series and whether she would consider changing roles to join the team.

This situation is not an isolated case. After the New Year this year, major short drama producers significantly scaled back their short drama projects. In conversations with multiple industry participants at a Hong Kong International Film Festival, DataEye Research Institute also sensed that companies are accelerating their focus on AI anime series. Director Aqi, who has long worked in Hengdian, revealed to DataEye Research Institute that the number of short drama productions in Hengdian noticeably decreased after the New Year. Particularly for fantasy costume dramas, almost all crews were planning to transition to anime or near-live-action series.

Data shows that in Q1 2026, among the publicly recruited positions in the short drama and anime series industry, screenwriter positions, post-production positions, operations planning positions, director positions, and editing production positions ranked as the top five in demand. The combined demand for these five positions accounted for more than 60%. Compared to the end of 2025, the demand for live-action short drama-related positions dropped by 18%, while the demand for AI anime series and AI near-live-action short drama-related positions increased by nearly 70% year-over-year. Among over 800 anime series position demands, 68% involved AI anime series, showing a very clear growth trend.

More notably, the positions experiencing this round of explosive growth are almost all inclined toward liberal arts and content creativity, confirming that the claim 'liberal arts students are facing new opportunities' is not without foundation.

Screenwriting, planning, directing, operations, and content coordination positions dominate recruitment. The demand for literary skills, narrative ability, internet sensitivity, and market awareness far exceeds the demand for purely technical skills. Even though the industry fully embraces AI, what truly determines whether content can go viral and retain users is still story logic, emotional value, and character tension, which are precisely the traditional strengths of talents with a liberal arts background.

As the industry accelerates its transformation, a batch of new specialized positions has emerged. For example, positions like secondary optimization specialists, AI trainers, and gacha card designers have proliferated due to their strong association with AI. However, most companies merge these specialized requirements into animation production or design-related positions during recruitment. In short, the ability to train AI models has become an essential requirement for animation art positions.

Some companies explicitly require candidates to not only be proficient in using various AI tools but also possess some computer science knowledge and experience in the film and television industry. Specifically, candidates must manually optimize anime series storyboards, resolve various bugs generated during AI processes, ensure consistency across different scenes, and perform secondary retouching and editing of generated images for AI model training and calibration.

In terms of educational background and work experience requirements, the short drama and anime series industry exhibits relatively high inclusiveness overall, but the demand stratification is also quite evident. Data shows that 44% of corporate positions require a college diploma or higher, 38% require a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 17% do not impose any educational restrictions.

In terms of work experience, 1-3 years of relevant experience is the core demand in the industry, mainly concentrated in key positions such as directors, AI training specialists, and animation producers. However, for roles like screenwriters, business development, and operations, there is no strict requirement for work experience, with more emphasis placed on the actual abilities of the candidates.

Lin Yu, a student majoring in animation production at a third-tier institution in Zhengzhou, said that he was fond of using AI during his student years and decided to try his hand at AI comic dramas given the current trend. However, during the interview process, he found that 'the requirements for AI in the workplace far exceed what is taught and used in school; it's much more cutting-edge and advanced!'

Candidates are expected not only to understand art and animation but also to be skilled at writing prompts and familiar with various large AI models. They need to know how to adjust prompts with minimal computational costs to ensure AI-generated content meets expectations.

When recruiting, we place greater importance on the candidate’s practical skills and portfolio of past works, especially for social recruitment positions. It is not limited to specific majors—anyone with relevant project experience can apply.

For campus recruitment, students majoring in film and television directing are preferred, but talents from literature, computer science, and data analysis fields are also welcomed.

When discussing work experience, the person in charge stated, 'The industry is developing rapidly. Although we don’t have high demands for experience, candidates should at least understand 60% of the required knowledge. The main issue is that the computational cost of current AI models is extremely high. Beginners without experience may spend more time and tokens to generate satisfactory material, which would significantly reduce the ‘cost reduction and efficiency improvement’ benefits AI offers.'

The industry's requirements for talent are becoming increasingly flexible, and the boundaries are also blurring. Individuals with interdisciplinary knowledge who possess both creativity and communication skills and can proficiently use AI tools are the core talents companies are eager to hire.

In Q1 job postings, mentions of 'data analysis skills' and 'market insight capabilities' exceeded 200 instances, covering most positions, including screenwriters, operations, and AI trainers. This indicates that content creation in the AI era is no longer solely about 'creative output'; it also requires integrating data to accurately capture market needs and produce more popular content.

According to regional distribution data, short drama and comic drama-related positions in Q1 were primarily concentrated in the three major city clusters of the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, showing distinct characteristics of 'head clustering and clear hierarchy.' Among them, Guangdong Province leads the nation with 216 companies offering 487 positions, with Shenzhen alone accounting for 18.8% of the national total. In Beijing, related positions account for 17%, while in Shanghai, they account for 10%.

Provinces such as Zhejiang, Henan, and Shandong have formed the second tier, while job numbers in central and western regions and northeastern provinces are relatively scarce. Areas like Tibet and Qinghai have even experienced a complete lack of available positions.

This regional distribution pattern is closely related to the allocation of industry resources. First-tier cities not only possess well-established industrial chain support but also enjoy abundant talent pools and traffic advantages, all of which are essential for the growth of the short drama and anime industry.

The short drama and anime industry relies heavily on supply chains, technical support, and distribution channels, with most core resources concentrated in first-tier cities. For instance, numerous AI technology firms in Shenzhen can provide strong technical backing for the development of AI anime dramas; content platforms and capital environments in Beijing and Shanghai are more dynamic, enabling companies to rapidly monetize content. Therefore, whether it's corporate strategy or talent mobility, these core cities naturally attract attention.

For professionals in smaller cities looking to capitalize on industry trends, they either need to move towards core cities to immerse themselves in the industry's inner circle or opt for remote collaboration, relying on internet connectivity to engage with projects from leading enterprises.

DataEye Research Institute found that demand for part-time and remote work positions increased in Q1. Many top companies have started adopting a 'core team on-site + peripheral team remote' cooperation model, providing new opportunities for professionals in smaller cities.

Currently, many companies are ramping up their investments in the anime drama sector, including major internet firms as well as cross-industry players, becoming an undeniable highlight in Q1’s recruitment market. Major tech companies like ByteDance, NetEase, and Tencent are actively hiring talents related to anime dramas, expanding their efforts significantly.

ByteDance has 39 open positions related to this field, with nine roles in product and technology, three in design—mainly creative directors—and the remaining 27 in operations. One-third of the newly listed roles were posted in March. Notably, the company is focusing on recruiting talent specializing in AI-driven realistic short dramas aimed at overseas markets, strengthening its international presence.

Next is NetEase, currently offering 47 related positions, including 19 anime drama roles and 28 short drama roles. The highest demand is for operation and content roles, with 12 openings primarily for short drama directors and screenwriters. Six positions related to anime drama content are internships, indicating that the company is in the talent accumulation and strategic development phase within the anime drama space.

Tencent has 15 relevant positions open, four of which are in technical product roles. All five anime drama-related roles are in design and closely linked to the gaming field, showcasing its unique approach of leveraging its strengths in gaming to expand into the anime drama sector.

Apart from major internet companies, some unexpected cross-industry enterprises have also entered the manga-drama track, offering high salaries to attract talent and accelerate their layout. TCL is recruiting an 'AI Application Development Engineer (Manga-Drama Platform Direction)' with a salary of up to 25-40K/16 months. The core plan is to build a dedicated AI manga-drama production platform, enabling two-way empowerment between hardware and manga-drama content.

Weibo is recruiting for a 'Short Drama Content Cooperation Operations' role in Beijing, mainly responsible for policy formulation, scheduling planning for short dramas, with a focus on incentivizing content ecosystems and analyzing commercial data. They aim to integrate manga-dramas into their own platform's content ecosystem to achieve efficient traffic conversion and monetization.

NewRank is offering a high salary of 40-70K in Beijing for an AI Manga-Drama Lead, requiring the candidate to build an AI manga-drama industrial production pipeline, establish a comprehensive prompt library and quality control standards, and use data and AI capabilities to empower manga-drama content production, seizing the industry’s development opportunities.

The entry of these cross-industry companies is not blind following but rather a precise insight into the significant commercial potential of the manga-drama track. Their participation not only injects new vitality into the industry but also promotes the diversified development of manga-dramas, accelerating the industrialization and standardization of AI manga-dramas and further enriching the industry’s ecosystem.

From 'labor-intensive' to 'computing power-intensive,' from live-action short dramas to AI manga-dramas, the transformation of the short drama manga-drama industry is quietly reshaping the entire industry’s talent demand landscape.

Based on Q1 recruitment data and interviews with frontline practitioners, it is clear that the short drama manga-drama industry is currently at a critical period of rapid transformation. The deep application of AI technology is the core driving force behind industry development, while content quality and versatile talent will ultimately become the key competitive advantages for companies.

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