Fuji Television said on November 5 that it will have systems in place to use generative AI on every drama it produces by October 2027. From the October 2026 season, at least one drama each quarter will be designated an "AI-enhanced" production, the network said. Some video production steps have already cut working hours by as much as 80%.
The results come from AI Sandbox, an experimental base the network opened at its Bayside Studio. AI Sandbox began operating in September under the AI Center, an internal unit set up in July to promote AI use, and involves the drama and technical divisions and the AI company ANDENT, based in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Fuji TV said it is already using generative AI on several productions, including "Kyumei Byoto 24-ji", currently on air. On that show, directors use the technology to visualize the images they have in mind before shooting, so staff share a picture of the finished scene. It is also used for detailed processing of medical scenes and for accident sites that are hard to reproduce with live-action filming alone.
In the first episode's explosion scene, generative AI created a fictional landscape styled as aerial footage, and smoke was composited into it. Some video production steps now take 70% to 80% less work than conventional methods, the network said. The figure covers specific steps in testing and does not represent savings across a whole production's budget or workload.
Shinya Masaki, who heads technology at AI Sandbox, said the network does not make every shot with AI but combines it with conventional visual effects and other methods, choosing what suits each work. Daisuke Nagashima, head of the drama and film production center, said generative AI can be used for scenes that are hard to shoot because of location, weather, legal or safety constraints, and said he expects it to widen the range of visual expression.
Fuji TV plans to extend the effort to video companies elsewhere in its group and aims for the whole group to have AI capabilities by fiscal 2029.