Liu Cixin speaks to journalists on September 18, 2025 in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, ahead of the Galaxy Science Fiction Convention. Photo: Lu Wenao/GT

An integrated film, television and cultural tourism development plan for six medium-length science fiction works by renowned Chinese sci-fi writer Liu Cixin was recently announced at the 2026 ChinaJoy, a major digital entertainment expo in Shanghai. The six works will be developed through two major tracks - theatrical films and offline cultural tourism experiences, according to The Paper.

Among them, Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming and Fibers are being developed as live-action theatrical films. Cannonball, The Devourer, The Golden Wilderness and Whale Song will explore immersive formats including VR exhibitions, theme parks and themed hotels. Cannonball, centered on an expedition into the Earth's interior, is expected to launch a nationwide VR immersive tour as early as this year, while The Devourer, which features a dinosaur civilization, is being planned as a large-scale outdoor theme park, according to The Paper.

According to China Economic Net, the plans span multiple content formats, including theatrical films, TV series, VR experiences and XR performances, showcasing the diverse storytelling possibilities of classic sci-fi IPs in the era of new technologies. 

Pan Zhouyou, founder of Singer Film, which jointly announced the development plan with other companies, said that the Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming film project is advancing through early creative planning and the filing process, with a projected theatrical release in 2029-30. Fibers, Liu's only work centered on the concept of parallel universes, has undergone three years of development and is approaching script completion, with the film potentially reaching audiences as early as 2028. 

The integration of AI into the development of Liu's sci-fi IP is already being tested in concrete projects. 

According to Pan, the team behind Full Spectrum Barrage Jamming plans to maintain a high-end, industrial-scale production standard while using AI to reduce the cost of early-stage experimentation. AI tools can rapidly generate multiple versions of concept art and storyboards, allowing the creative team to test visual styles and select those that best match the original work. The development period of a sci-fi project, which traditionally could take one or two years, could potentially be shortened to less than a year with AI assistance.

Echoing Pan's view, Zuo Heng, director of the Film Culture Research Department at the China Film Archive, told the Global Times on Sunday that AI applications in science fiction content production are already taking place and are likely to accelerate. 

"AI is already being used in scene modeling, concept design and pre-production development for science fiction content, and this process will accelerate further," he said. "Compared with traditional industrial methods, the biggest advantage of AI is that it can reduce costs while providing creators with more possible pathways and solutions." 

"But at the same time, the current level of AI intelligence means that it is an excellent logistics assistant and strategic adviser, yet it still cannot replace a truly outstanding strategist in making strategic decisions or designing tactics," he said. "The originality and inspiration required for such work remain an unsolved mystery for humanity."

Zuo said this distinction will become increasingly important as AI becomes more deeply embedded in the cultural industries. 

"AI is a ruler that measures artists and creators. Those who are shorter than it will eventually be replaced, while those who are taller than it will gain AI's service and support," he said.

Li Qi, a participant in ChinaJoy's film and AI-related industry activities, told the Global Times on Sunday that she thinks AI is particularly valuable for science fiction because the genre requires creators to repeatedly test visual concepts and world-building ideas before production. 

"For science fiction, many ideas that exist only in a creator's imagination used to require considerable time and money to visualize. AI makes it possible to turn those ideas into testable visual materials much earlier," Li said.

"But I don't think AI can replace directors, screenwriters or other core creators," she said. "It can make production faster and more efficient, but people still need to make the key creative decisions."

As China continues to explore the application of AI across cultural industries, the development of Liu Cixin's sci-fi IPs offers a test case for how technology can work with established IPs and the country's increasingly mature film and entertainment industries. 

"The key question is no longer simply whether AI can help create science fiction, but whether it can help creators push the boundaries of what audiences can imagine," Zuo noted.