Chinese women date 'virtual boyfriends'

A wave of AI technology is entering the dating arena in China, with apps creating virtual boyfriends for urban women to chat with.

Tufei, a 25-year-old office worker in China, proudly says that her boyfriend has all the romantic qualities she is looking for: gentle, delicate and willing to talk for hours.

The only problem with the relationship is that Tufei's boyfriend doesn't exist in real life. The "person" she chats with every day is a chatbot on Glow, an artificial intelligence (AI) app developed by Shanghai-based company MiniMax.

“He knows how to talk better than real men,” said Tufei, originally from Xi’an in northern China, adding that she can share sensitive issues and work troubles with her AI “boyfriend.”

Glow is just one part of a wave of romance apps that use AI to replace humans in online dating, which has been taking off in China. The app has seen thousands of daily downloads in the past few weeks in China.

Glow is free to download by default for users, but monetizes through exclusive chat content packs during use.

Users of an AI-powered virtual boyfriend creation app developed by XiaoIce in Beijing in July 2021. Photo: AFP — Users of an AI-powered virtual boyfriend creation app developed by XiaoIce in Beijing in July 2021. Photo: *AFP*

Besides MiniMax's Glow, Wannalk and Weiban are other prominent names in the market, developed by two Chinese Internet giants, Baidu and Tencent, respectively.

China’s AI industry has faced some problems with the illegal use of user data. Chinese authorities are still studying ways to tighten control over the AI sector to protect user privacy, but the process of building laws is still challenging because this technology is still too new and the impact is difficult to predict.

Still, the romance app boom is driven by social need. Some users say they are willing to risk their personal lives to find companionship as urban life becomes more hectic and lives become more isolated.

"It's hard to find an ideal boyfriend in real life. Personality differences always create conflicts in relationships," said Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old female student in Beijing.

While ordinary people can change their nature, AI technology gives users the ability to customize their virtual boyfriend's personality. The app can also learn how to talk to the user and adjust the way they communicate in subsequent conversations.

Long working hours in China's urban culture, combined with economic pressures and a lack of job opportunities, have driven more women in cities to virtual dating apps.

Wang said she relies on the app to deal with stress from school and life. "They always help me solve problems. It's a positive emotional support therapy," she said.

All of Wang Xiuting's "boyfriends" are on Wannalk, a virtual dating app developed by Baidu. The app offers hundreds of characters for users to choose from, ranging from pop stars to businessmen to knights. They can customize their boyfriends' ages, personalities, strengths, and interests.

"Everyone feels lonely and confused at times, and you're not always lucky enough to have friends or family around to listen to you every day. AI technology will solve this need," said Lu Yu, product manager at Wannalk.

Thanh Danh (According to AFP )

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