中新网5月14日电 当地时间13日，涉及美国前总统特朗普的“封口费”一案审理迎来重大进展，被称为特朗普曾经“最忠诚副手之一”的关键证人科恩出庭作证。他不仅承认曾替特朗普向艳星丹尼尔斯支付了13万美元“封口费”，还透露了特朗普在此案中的诸多细节。

　　在当天的庭审上，科恩表示，他在2011年第一次听说特朗普和丹尼尔斯之间的事。他当时去了特朗普的办公室，问特朗普是否认识丹尼尔斯。特朗普回答称，他确实认识丹尼尔斯，并指示科恩要“处理好这件事”。

　　根据科恩的证词，特朗普曾对科恩表示，他和美国橄榄球运动员罗斯里斯伯格都见过丹尼尔斯，但丹尼尔斯更喜欢特朗普。

B |

　　科恩还问特朗普是否与丹尼尔斯有过接触，特朗普并未给出直接回答，只说她是“一个美丽的女人”。         Staff members work on a short-form drama in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, on July 21, 2026. Photo: VCG
Open Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and AI-generated short dramas are hard to miss.
The stories span almost every genre familiar to Chinese audiences, from fantasy and immortal cultivation to urban romance and period tales.
The biggest difference is that the actors, settings and even many of the visual elements are generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
One of the latest hits is The Inverse Zone, an original mystery-thriller about monsters that has been dubbed an AI version of Stranger Things. The series has released three episodes so far, each receiving more than 1 million likes on Douyin.
Yet the team behind it consists of just three people, all born after 2000.
While Hollywood is still catching up with the short drama boom, China's short-drama industry is already moving into the AI era.
For many young creators, AI is not just another tool - it is a door that small teams could never have opened before.
"We've always wanted to make professional film and television content, with visual language, complete storytelling and a cinematic feel," Hu Hai, a member of the team behind The Inverse Zone, told the Global Times. "But the cost and barriers of live-action production were too high. Small teams had little chance to realize high-quality film and television projects."
As increasingly capable domestic AI models emerged, that door began to open. "The maturity of AI creative tools made us see new possibilities," Hu said.
The explosive growth of AI-generated short dramas is a double-edged sword: It opens doors for some, but leaves many in the industry uncertain about what comes next. Many actors who once benefited from the short-drama boom are now finding work increasingly scarce, with some turning to other professions. Meanwhile, the use of celebrities likenesses in AI-generated content (AIGC) has ignited a fresh wave of debate.
Where is the industry headed next? Global Times reporters spoke with AI creators, short-drama actors and industry experts about the opportunities and uncertainties ahead.
         Screenshots from the AI-generated microdrama The Inverse Zone Photo: Courtesy of Hu Hai
Lowering barriers

Hu studied directing and filmmaking in college. His team initially focused on short comedy videos, a field with relatively low production costs and less barriers to entry. But after years of producing this type of content, they eventually reached a creative plateau. That began to shift as more advanced AI tools came onto the scene.
To produce The Inverse Zone, the team used domestic video-generation models Seedance 2.0 and 2.5. The series took nearly two months to prepare, including world-building, character design and establishing a consistent visual style. "Seedance is the best in the world. It's extremely advanced. There's no model in Europe or the US that is more useful than it," Hu told the Global Times.
The technology does not mean production is effortless, however.
According to Hu, a typical episode costs around 4,000 to 5,000 yuan ($593-$741) to produce, while episodes involving large-scale scenes, complex special effects or demanding lighting and rendering can cost more than 10,000 yuan.
The team used AI for image generation, basic voice work and material rendering, while humans remained responsible for the script, character development, cinematography and post-production.
"The soul of the entire series is still controlled by people," Hu said. "All the key creative decisions are manually adjusted and repeatedly reviewed."
Ya Cen, operations head of AI video platform LibTV, told the Global Times that the AI short-drama ecosystem is now characterized by small teams, high productivity and strong individual styles. "The most direct value of AIGC is that it has lowered the geographic and financial barriers to film and television production," she added.
    Screenshots from the AI-generated microdrama The Inverse Zone Photo: Courtesy of Hu Hai
Actors in AI era
Yet the rise of AI short dramas is also creating new tensions.
AI-generated characters are now building fanbases, landing brand endorsements, and being described as the next generation of digital stars. At the same time, many celebrities including Taiwan actress Joey Wong have reportedly given permission for their younger likenesses to be used in AIGC.
The impact extends beyond celebrity likenesses. It is also being felt by people who once benefited from China's booming live-action short-drama industry.
The short-drama boom created opportunities for large numbers of actors, many of whom could quickly become recognizable faces. However, as AI-generated productions expand, some performers are finding fewer acting opportunities and turning to other professions.
Chongqing native Luo Xinyuan, 21, has experienced that shift firsthand.
She spent more than a year in Hengdian, East China's Zhejiang Province as a short-drama actress. Since May, she has worked at a scenic area playing Huang Rong, a character from a classic Chinese martial arts novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
"When short dramas were at their peak, there were lots of fast-paced, feel-good stories," Luo told the Global Times. "But that kind of content is difficult to sustain. Without richer and more meaningful stories, the pressure from AI short dramas will make things even harder."
For many short-drama actors, the disruption is likely to be structural rather than an immediate wholesale replacement, Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times. The question of celebrity likenesses may prove even more complicated.
Zhang warned that unrestricted authorization could raise concerns over control and revenue sharing. Without clearer rules, the technology could put further pressure on ordinary actors.
The next stage may not be a choice between humans and machines, but a new production model in which the two increasingly work together.
For creators such as Hu, that possibility is already here.
"AI has finally given young creators like us the opportunity to realize the film and television dreams we've had for years," he said.
。

当地时间2023年4月4日，美国前总统特朗普抵纽约曼哈顿刑事法院就“封口费”案接受提审。

C | 中新社记者 廖攀 摄

　　在庭审现场，检察官提到丹尼尔斯和特朗普发生性接触一事时问科恩：“如果这件事属实，你认为这可能对(2016年的)竞选活动产生什么潜在影响？”科恩回答称：“灾难性的，对竞选活动来说是可怕的。

D | ”

　　科恩在庭上表示，2016年10月关于特朗普的桃色新闻出现时，科恩本人正在伦敦和家人朋友在一起。他曾接到特朗普的电话，并称“特朗普想要的说法是，这是内部谈话，是梅拉尼娅(特朗普夫人)的意思。他想利用这一点来尽量减少对他本人和竞选活动的影响”。

　　科恩作证称，当特朗普与丹尼尔斯之间的事情在2016年大选活动只剩几周时再次被曝出后，特朗普感到非常愤怒。

　　科恩回忆称，特朗普当时对他说：“我以为你已经解决了这件事，并得到了控制。这是一场灾难，彻头彻尾的灾难。

E | 女性会讨厌我，男性可能会觉得这很酷，但这对我的竞选绝对是一场灾难。”

　　科恩称，特朗普当时告诉他，要尽可能长时间地拖延此事，最好拖到大选之后。而当谈及特朗普和丹尼尔斯之间的事对梅拉尼娅有什么影响时，科恩表示，在经过沟通后，他意识到特朗普并不担心梅拉尼娅，而只是担心竞选活动。

F |

　　该案的关键，在于时任特朗普竞选经理兼律师的科恩向丹尼尔斯支付了13万美元“封口费”，以此要求丹尼尔斯不要在选举期间，渲染多年前曾与特朗普有染一事。

　　科恩作证说，他在2016年10月与特朗普进行过一次谈话。

G | 特朗普当时明确要求他，向丹尼尔斯支付13万美元。

H |

　　科恩表示，他当时对特朗普表示，会先为其垫付这笔钱，而特朗普也对此表示“感激”，并许诺会将这笔钱还给科恩。

　　针对这一问题，检察官询问科恩：如果没有特朗普“签字”，他是否会向丹尼尔斯支付13万美元。

I | 科恩明确表示“不会”，并称“因为一切都需要特朗普本人的签字”。除此之外，他还表示：“我想要回我的钱。”

　　科恩在证词宣誓时证实，他于2016年10月27日汇出的一笔标有“保留金”款项，实际上就是给丹尼尔斯的钱，目的就是让后者“执行保密协议”。

　　对于科恩此次作证，多家美国媒体都采用了“被最忠诚下属指认”这一说法。美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)介绍称，科恩与特朗普曾经非常亲密，科恩曾说过一句著名的话——他会为特朗普“挡子弹”。

J |

　　美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)还关注到一个细节，当天的庭审中，科恩和特朗普基本上避免了目光接触，在作证的大部分时间里，科恩都直视着检察官苏珊，偶尔扫视一下房间，或者看看陪审团的方向。

K | 而特朗普在接受科恩提问的很长一段时间里，要么闭着眼睛，要么翻阅新闻报道。

　　多家美媒预测，科恩的作证，也可能会对“封口费”一案的走向起到重要影响。

　　13日的审判一直持续到当地时间傍晚。审判结束离开法院后，特朗普对当庭法官莫钦进行了猛烈抨击，称“封口费案”是一个“骗局”。

　　特朗普说：“我认为这个国家的民主正在发生可怕的事情。

L | ”他称，此案实际上是“被操纵的交易”。(完)