Xiaohongshu (RED) is developing an AI-driven video editing product called OpenStoryline as the Chinese lifestyle app looks to deepen its hold on creators and shoppers. The move follows a broader pivot across China’s internet giants toward generative tools that speed up content production and lower technical barriers for users.
The product name suggests an emphasis on narrative: automated sequencing, scene selection and templated story arcs that turn footage into shareable videos with minimal human touch. While the company has not published technical specifications, OpenStoryline is likely to bundle machine-driven editing, automatic captions and stylised filters — features that have become expectations for modern short-video workflows.
For Xiaohongshu the strategic logic is straightforward. The platform’s mix of user-generated lifestyle content and e-commerce depends on a steady stream of polished, shoppable video. An integrated AI editor would reduce friction for creators, increase posting frequency, and lock-in users within RED’s ecosystem — all while competing directly with established editing tools such as ByteDance’s CapCut and other third-party suites.
OpenStoryline also carries commercial implications. Xiaohongshu has built a reputation as a discovery-to-purchase funnel, and faster production could amplify product reviews, unboxings and affiliate-driven content. Brands and merchants stand to benefit from lower-cost creative production, but the platform will need to balance volume with meaningful discovery to avoid diluting the value of influencer recommendations.
The project arrives amid intensifying regulatory scrutiny of generative AI in China. Authorities have pressed platforms to enforce content controls, register AI services, and manage risks including deepfakes, disinformation and copyright infringement tied to training data. Xiaohongshu will therefore have to design OpenStoryline with moderation, provenance labelling and rights management baked into the pipeline.
Beyond compliance, the product confronts commercial and cultural trade-offs. Automating editing can raise average production quality but risks homogenising creative expression and elevating short-term metrics over trust. For international observers, OpenStoryline is another sign of China’s race to embed generative AI into consumer-facing products — a contest that will reshape creator economics, advertising and e-commerce across platforms.