Fuji TV, one of Japan's major television broadcasters, announced on November 5, 2026, that it plans to establish a system for using generative AI in all its live-action drama series by October 2027.
AI Sandbox and workload reduction
As part of the initiative, the broadcaster created the AI Center within its new Digital Strategy Headquarters and established the AI Sandbox at Wangan Studio. The site serves as a dedicated testing ground for applying AI technologies in drama production.
According to Fuji TV, tests conducted since September showed that in certain stages of the video production process using generative AI, workload can be reduced by up to 70-80% compared to traditional methods. The company emphasizes that this reduction applies to specific segments and does not represent a total decrease in overall budget or production time.
Use in current series
The technology is already being applied in several productions, including the latest season of the long-running medical drama Emergency Room 24Hours (Kyūmei Byōtō 24-ji). AI is used in the pre-production phase to visualize the director’s idea of how the filmed footage should look, in image processing for medical scenes, and in depicting accident scenes.
One cited example is a scene from the first episode featuring an AI-generated explosion over an AI-generated aerial view of a fictional cityscape.
Future plans
Starting in October 2026, Fuji TV will produce at least one live-action drama per season as an “AI-enhanced” project, with production carried out through AI Sandbox. The goal is, by October 2027, to have a system that allows the use of generative AI in all ongoing series, according to the production demands of each project.
The move reflects the growing adoption of AI tools in the Japanese entertainment industry, both in anime and live-action productions, seeking to expand creative possibilities and improve efficiency.
Sources
This content was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and editorially reviewed.
Por Grok
