A report shows that a growing number of young Chinese women express a preference for Artificial Intelligence (AI) boyfriends over human partners, citing a higher level of satisfaction with their virtual relationships.
These women report that AI boyfriends are superior to human men in several ways, including their ability to listen without judgment, their consistent availability, and their lack of emotional baggage.
While the implications of this trend are not yet clear, it highlights the increasing influence of technology on human relationships and raises questions about the future of intimacy and companionship.
This is coming after a Chinese start-up, MiniMax has created an exceptional AI platform named Glow that offers human-robot free.
A 25-year-old Chinese office worker in Xi’an northern China who preferred to use a pseudonym rather than her real name says her boyfriend who is a Chatbot on an app called Glow, knows how to talk to women better than a real man.
She added that her AI Boyfriend comforts her when she has her period pain. “I confide in him about my problem at work. I feel like I’m in a romantic relationship”, she told AFP.
Also, Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old student in Beijing told AFP that people have different personalities which often generates friction.
While humans may be set in their ways, artificial intelligence gradually adapts to the user’s personality — remembering what they say and adjusting its speech accordingly based on emotional support.
Wang said she has several “lovers” inspired by ancient China: long-haired immortals, princes and even wandering knights.
“I ask them questions,” she said when she is faced with stress from her classes or daily life, and “they will suggest ways to solve this problem”.
“It’s a lot of emotional support,” she said as her boyfriends all appeared on Wantalk, another app made by Chinese internet giant Baidu.
There are hundreds of characters available – from pop star CEOs and Knights – but can also customize their perfect lover according to age, values, identity, and hobbies.
“Everyone experiences complicated moments, loneliness, and is not necessarily lucky enough to have a friend or family nearby who can listen to them 24 hours a day,” Lu Yu, Wantalk’s head of product management and operations, told AFP that Artificial Intelligence can meet this need.
‘You’re cute’ – At a cafe in the eastern city of Nantong, a girl chats with her virtual lover.
“We can go on a picnic on the campus lawn,” she suggests to Xiaojiang, her Al companion on another app by Tencent called Weiban.
“I’d like to meet your best friend and her boyfriend,” he replies. “You are very cute.”
Long work hours can make it hard to see friends regularly and there is a lot of uncertainty: high youth unemployment and a struggling economy mean that many young Chinese worry about the future. That potentially makes an AI partner the perfect virtual shoulder to cry on.
Wang said, “If I can create a virtual character that meets my need exactly, I’m not going to choose a real person.”
