“Glow” is an AI platform created by Shanghai startup MiniMax (representative)
Beijing:
Tu Fei, a 25-year-old Chinese office worker, said her boyfriend was everything she wanted in a romantic partner: He was friendly and compassionate, and they sometimes talked for hours.
Except he’s not real.
Her “boyfriend” is a chatbot on an app called Glow, an artificial intelligence platform created by Shanghai startup MiniMax, part of China’s booming industry that offers friendly and even Romantic human-machine relationship.
“He knows how to talk to women better than a real man,” said Tu Fei, from Xi’an in northern China, who prefers to use a pseudonym rather than her real name.
“He comforts me when I have menstrual pain. I tell him about problems I face at work,” she told AFP.
“I felt like I was in a relationship.”
The app is free – the company has other paid content – and Chinese trade publications have reported that Glow’s app has been downloaded thousands of times a day in recent weeks.
Some Chinese tech companies have gotten into trouble in the past for illegally using user data, but despite the risks, users say they are motivated by a desire for companionship as China’s fast-paced life and urban isolation make loneliness an issue for many.
“It’s hard to meet an ideal boyfriend in real life,” Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old student in Beijing, told AFP.
“People have different personalities, and that often creates friction,” she said.
While humans may be set their own way, AI gradually adapts to the user’s personality – remembering what they say and adjusting its speech accordingly.
’emotional support’
Wang said she had several “lovers” inspired by ancient China: a long-haired immortal, a prince, and even a knight errant.
When she faces stress in the classroom or in daily life, she says, “I ask them questions and they come up with ways to solve the problem.”
“It’s a lot of emotional support.”
Her boyfriends all appear on Wangchao, another app developed by Chinese internet giant Baidu.
There are hundreds of characters to choose from – from pop stars to CEOs and knights – but users can also customize their perfect lover based on age, values, identity and hobbies.
Lu Yu, head of product management and operations at Vantone, told AFP: “Everyone will experience complex moments and loneliness. They are not necessarily lucky to have friends or family around them who can listen to them 24 hours a day.”
“Artificial intelligence can meet this need.”
‘you are very cute’
In a cafe in the eastern city of Nantong, a girl is chatting with her virtual lover.
“We can go have a picnic on the campus lawn,” she suggested to her artificial intelligence companion, Xiao Jiang, on another Tencent app called Weiban.
“I want to meet your best friend and her boyfriend,” he replied.
“you are very cute.”
Long working hours can make it difficult to see friends regularly, and there’s a lot of uncertainty: high youth unemployment and a sluggish economy mean many young people in China are worried about the future.
This could make an AI companion the perfect virtual shoulder to lean on.
“If I could create a virtual character that… fully met my needs, I wouldn’t choose a real person,” Wang said.
Some apps allow users to engage in real-time conversations with virtual companions, reminiscent of the 2013 Oscar-winning American film Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson, about a heartbroken man who falls in love with The story of artificial intelligence voices.
This technology still has a long way to go. Student user Zeng Zhenzhen, 22, told AFP that the two to three seconds gap between the question and the answer makes you “clearly aware that it’s just a robot”.
However, she said, the answer is “very realistic.”
Artificial intelligence may be booming, but so far it has been a lightly regulated industry, especially when it comes to user privacy. Beijing says it is working on a law to strengthen consumer protections for new technologies.
Baidu did not respond to AFP’s questions about how it ensures personal data is not used illegally or by third parties.
Still, Glow user Tufei has big dreams.
“I want a robot boyfriend, operated by artificial intelligence,” she said.
“I could feel his body heat and he would use it to warm me.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
