Why Are Chinese AIGC Products Winning in the West (at Least for Now)?
From TikTok to Discord, a new wave of Chinese AIGC tools is going viral. What happens when the hype fades?
There was a week when I kept seeing the same thing on TikTok: anime-style videos, lip-synced, over-edited, slightly cringe—but addictive. Every one of them was made with DreamFace.
I got curious.
Turned out, DreamFace wasn’t from LA or London. It came from a Chinese team I had never heard of, under a company better known for financial data. That was unexpected. But not entirely surprising.
Because over the past year, I’ve seen this happen more than once.
Chinese AIGC teams—many of them new to consumer entertainment—are somehow making products that go viral in Western markets. Talkie, Dreamina, DreamFace, even Filmora with its AI-native editing updates… none of them have strong local brands. But their products work. They’re fast. Fun. Surprisingly well-tuned to Western platforms. And they spread.
So I’ve been thinking:
Why them? And what’s next—after the virality fades?
It’s not about AI. It’s about when AI becomes fun.
Most of the Chinese AIGC hits I’ve seen don’t look like “AI” products at first glance.
They look like cosplay. Or meme tools. Or a roleplaying Discord bot that just happens to talk like your anime crush.
Talkie doesn’t lecture you about LLMs. It lets you flirt with a pirate. Or vent to a vampire.
Even Filmora’s AI features feel more like creative shortcuts than headline tech.
That’s the trick.
They’re not trying to impress you with what AI can do.
They’re giving you something AI happens to be really good at—identity play, expressive content, aesthetic output—and letting you enjoy it.
It’s not about model size. It’s about execution.
Speed matters. So does polish. And knowing what not to include.
There’s something ruthless—and honestly, admirable—about how fast these products go from idea to usable.
In China, they soft launch a half-broken MVP, watch retention drop, and rebuild the next day.
Then suddenly, the thing works. And it’s already optimized for TikTok, Discord, or Reddit distribution.
It’s not magic. It’s just product iteration at internet speed.
But here’s what’s different now: they actually understand culture
For a long time, Chinese teams didn’t really get Western content culture.
They’d localize text, maybe add English UI—but the products felt off.
That’s changing.
Talkie feels like it was made by someone who’s lived on Tumblr and Discord.
DreamFace knows exactly how long a TikTok should be, what music hits, and which aesthetic trends to jump on.
It’s not perfect—but it’s good enough to go viral.
And once you’ve gone viral, the product itself becomes the message.
So is China going to dominate Western AIGC?
I don’t think so. At least not yet for now.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most of these apps have zero brand equity.
People use them, sure. But few trust them. Few pay for long.
DreamFace had its moment. So did dozens of AI photo apps before it. But ask a U.S. creator what they’re sticking with long-term, and it’s still Midjourney. Or Character.ai. Or ElevenLabs.
That’s not about tech. That’s about trust. Community. Continuity.
And that’s where Chinese teams still struggle.
And more, let’s be honest.
B2C virality is impressive, but rarely durable.
B2B credibility, on the other hand, takes years—and is much harder for Chinese companies to build abroad.
Because B2B is not just about features.
It’s about relationships. Local presence. Compliance. Reliability. Roadmaps.
Right now, most Chinese AIGC companies don’t have that muscle.
They have great demos, but no marketing team in NYC or LA.
They have growth, but not governance.
Still—there’s a bridge forming.
If enough C-end users get used to these interfaces, workflows, and creative styles… eventually, some of that legitimacy could flow into enterprise use.
For instance, maybe a game studio starts prototyping characters with Talkie APIs.
But that only works if someone stays long enough to build the trust.
Final thought
This feels like a moment.
A moment where Chinese AIGC teams aren’t just fast or cheap. They’re culturally relevant, product-savvy, and emotionally smart.
And for now, that’s enough to win the feed.
But winning the feed is different from winning the future.
And if they want to do that, they’ll need more than TikTok virality.
They’ll need brand. Community. And a reason for users—and businesses—to stay.
Let’s see who gets there first.