Face Licensing for AI is Becoming Widespread in China
In China, individuals are licensing their faces for fees ranging from 15 to 700 dollars to be used in mobile advertisements and micro-dramas.
With the massive surge in AI-supported content production in China, ordinary citizens and celebrities have started licensing their facial likenesses in exchange for 15 to 700 dollars. This situation brings along issues of consent and regulation.
The Face Licensing Market
The demand for AI content in China's mobile entertainment industry continues to grow rapidly. It is reported that over 95 percent of micro-dramas released in the first quarter of 2026 utilized AI technologies in their production.
Faces as Digital Assets
While licensing faces prevents unauthorized data scraping practices, it gives rise to new governance issues. AI technology transforms the face from being merely a biometric identifier into a replicable digital asset.
Current Legal Regulations
China has the Civil Code protecting portrait and personality rights, as well as various security regulations targeting facial recognition and generative AI services. However, this new digital economy raises deeper questions such as consent and reputational costs.