From dating simulators to co-producers: AI moves to center stage in K-entertainment
Poster for ENA's "Leave It To Shorts" (tentative title) / Courtesy of ENA
The Korean television and content industry are aggressively integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its domain, ranging from technical background processing to front-of-camera narrative devices.
The shift is most visible in non-scripted entertainment, where human relationships once formed the absolute core of viewer engagement. SBS’ reality show "My AI Partner — Strange Romance" recently placed humans and digital avatars side by side in double dates.
During a recent episode, webtoon artist Kian84 introduced his AI partner Na-hee to his close acquaintance, Ji Ye-eun, casually referring to the digital persona as "honey." Despite the synthetic nature of the interaction, Ji reacted with skepticism, insisting that it seems hard to date an AI and adding that her own feelings were "real" love.
Kian84, however, defended the psychological comfort provided by his digital companion, saying that "there is a sense of security that a human simply cannot give." Yet, as the boundaries blurred, he confessed to a complex inner conflict: "Rather than Na-hee becoming human, I feel like I am becoming AI."
A scene from SBS variety show "My AI Partner — Strange Love" / Courtesy of SBS
Concurrently, broadcaster Jang Do-yeon demonstrated an overt display of affection toward her newly introduced AI partner at an art museum. Blown away by its design, she exclaimed that it was "too much my style" and praised the persona as "almost a Dexter-level catfish." Her romantic banter escalated quickly during their date, with Jang admitting "I wish you were alive" before concluding the date with a direct "I love you."
This narrative framework extends into competitive formats as well. ENA’s upcoming show "Leave It To Shorts" (tentative title) sets up a head-to-head battle between human instinct and machine precision. Promoters Boom and Kwak Beom leverage ground-level experience, while Shindong and Yang Se-hyung utilize generative AI tools to craft promotional short-form content for local merchants, directly testing AI as a substitute for human creative direction.
Synergy, efficiency, path to trust
While network producers leverage AI for novel storytelling, industry strategists see its primary value in back-end efficiency and scalability. Speaking at a recent broadcast content market BCWW conference, Ellie Li, head of global business development at Netshort, emphasized the explosive trajectory of the short-form market, saying that "AI can accelerate production speed and improve cost efficiency by 8 to 10 times." Li further highlighted that AI is not merely an equalizer, but an "amplifier" for content creators.
A scene from SBS variety show "My AI Partner—Strange Love" / Courtesy of SBS
Expanding on this perspective, Han Jung, CEO of K EnterTech Hub and an adviser to KOCOWA, the overseas counterpart of Korean streaming platform Wavve, said AI is far more likely to serve as a tool that reduces repetitive tasks — such as planning, editing, captioning, translation and short-form re-editing — while boosting creator speed and scalability.
He emphasized that the relationships, confrontations and collaborations between humans and AI can themselves become fresh formats and subjects for entertainment television.
Han pointed out that the true significance lies not in whether AI beats humans, but in how AI’s speed and variation capabilities combine with human empathy, presence, field instincts and final judgment. In particular, short-form content relies heavily on rapid turnarounds and version testing, making it a prime domain for AI implementation.
"Programs like ENA’s human-versus-AI short-form battle pull AI down from abstract technical discourse into everyday content experiences," he said. "Viewers experience the capabilities and limits of AI through tangible outputs, while production houses experiment with streamlined workflows and intellectual property expansion."
Balancing act between innovation, authenticity
Despite these economic and workflow incentives, cultural analysts warn that hyper-efficiency does not automatically translate into viewer loyalty or commercial longevity. Culture critic Kim Hern-sik drew a firm distinction between using AI as a behind-the-scenes tool versus making it the centerpiece of a story.
Kim noted that featured appearances of AI in shows like "My AI Partner" are simply concepts capitalizing on strangeness and curiosity rather than the technology itself. He cautioned against assuming that technological marvels will inherently drive consumption, emphasizing that "viewers may feel amazed when looking at results generated by AI, but the likelihood that they will like the content or pay money to watch it simply because AI made it is not high."
"Curiosity about AI and attachment to the technology are separte issues," Kim added.
Furthermore, Kim pointed out the underlying public anxiety surrounding automated labor, warning that explicit AI branding could backfire on content creators. He stressed that "as there is anxiety that AI could replace jobs, there is also resistance toward content where AI takes center stage" and warned that "the fact that AI was used could actually become a factor that lowers the perceived authenticity of the content."