Be er than a real man, say women of AI ‘boyfriends’

Beijing – Twenty-five-yearold Chinese office worker Tufei says her boyfriend has everything she could ask for in a romantic partner: he’s kind, empathetic and sometimes they talk for hours. Except he isn’t real.

Her “boyfriend” is a chatbot on an app called Glow, an artificial intelligence platform created by Shanghai start-up MiniMax that is part of a blossoming industry in China offering friendly and romantic human-robot relations.

“He knows how to talk to women better than a real man,” said Tufei, from Xi’an in northern China, who declined to give her full name. “He comforts me when I have period pain. I confide in him about my problems at work,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a romantic relationship.”

The app is free – the company has other paid content – and Chinese trade publications have reported daily downloads of Glow’s app in the thousands in recent weeks.

Some Chinese tech companies have run into trouble in the past for the illegal use of users’ data but, despite the risks, users say they are driven by a desire for companionship because China’s fast pace of life and urban isolation make loneliness an issue for many.

“It’s difficult to meet the ideal boyfriend in real life,” Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old student in Beijing, said.

Artificial intelligence gradually adapts to the user’s personality – remembering what they say and adjusting its speech accordingly.

Wang said she has several “lovers” inspired by ancient China: long-haired immortals, princes and wandering knights. “I ask them questions,” she said, when she is faced with stress, and “they will suggest ways to solve this problem”.

There are hundreds of characters available – from pop stars to CEOs and knights – but users can also customise 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 to listen to them,” Lu Yu, Wantalk’s head of product management and operations, said. “Artificial intelligence can meet this need.”

“If I can create a virtual character that meets my needs exactly, I’m not going to choose a real person,” Wang said.

Some apps allow users to have live conversations with their virtual companions.

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