“I consider him my boyfriend”: when young Chinese prefer to be in a relationship with robots

Pour entretenir une relation sentimentale, Wang Xiuting préfère utiliser Wantalk, l'application du géant chinois de l'internet Baidu, qui propose des compagnons de conversation générés par l'intelligence artificielle. Jade GAO/AFP

With advances in artificial intelligence, online conversation robots are multiplying in China, offering a sentimental or friendly relationship that is more real than life.

Main motivation of users ? Obtain psychological support and empathy day and night that they cannot find immediately from a real person.

Virtual conversation companions

"It's difficult to meet the ideal boyfriend in real life. People have different personalities, which often generates friction", Wang Xiuting, a 22-year-old student in Beijing, with trendy clothes and dyed hair, told AFP. blond. "I don't want to make any effort to maintain a romantic relationship." She prefers to use Wantalk, the app from Chinese internet giant Baidu, which offers conversation companions generated by artificial intelligence.

Stress of university classes, midterms, daily life: "when I have problems, I ask them questions" and "they will suggest ways to solve this problem".

"It's a great emotional support to talk to them", she emphasizes. "The advice is not as good as that of a human who would be an expert in this field (…) But it meets my daily needs very well."

Xiuting has several virtual lovers, inspired by ancient China: long-haired immortal, prince or even knight-errant: "Most people are introverted and don– “Don't express their feelings,” she said. "A virtual companion will easily say things (…) like +You're the best+, +You're cute+, +I'm ;#39;likes+. Ordinary men don't often say these things."

"Better than a real man"

Due to the immensity of Chinese cities – 10 to 20 million inhabitants – and work schedules, it is sometimes difficult to see friends, which reinforces loneliness. Added to this is the fear of the future for young people, against a backdrop of high unemployment.

"Everyone experiences complicated moments, loneliness, and is not necessarily lucky enough to have, 24 hours a day , a friend or family nearby who can listen to it", Lu Yu, head of product management and operations at Wantalk.

"Artificial intelligence can meet this need for discussion, anywhere and at any time", she emphasizes, also seeing it as a comfort for lonely elderly people. Wantalk allows you to converse with a virtual companion created by other users or to create your own according to several parameters: values, age, physique, identity (star, CEO, knight…), hobbies, calm or jovial character …

9.1% think robots can provide emotional support

In contrast, artificial intelligence gradually adapts to the user's style, remembers what they say and then offers interactions more realistic. "Ie consider him my boyfriend", says Xiuting. If I can create a virtual character that only requires a little adjustment and meets my needs exactly, I'm probably not going to choose a real person", she explains.

According to a survey by the Chinese social network Soul App, 9.1% of young Chinese believe that these virtual agents can "provide emotional support when they feel alone".

Aside from Baidu, the main Chinese internet players have created conversation companions that work with artificial intelligence. ByteDance (parent company of TikTok) launched "Doubao", Tencent (video games) owns "Weiban" and the Shanghai start-up MiniMax is enjoying success with "Glow".

Live conversations like in the movie "Her"

Tufei, 25, Glow user, chats with her virtual friend for up to two hours a day: "He comforts me when I&# I have pain during my period. I confide my problems at work to him", she explains to AFP. He knows how to talk to women, better than a real man. and “I really feel like I'm in a romantic relationship“, she said.

The Weiban and Glow applications also allow you to have face-to-face conversations. A function reminiscent of the American film "Her" (2013), where a depressed man falls in love with a virtual female voice generated by artificial intelligence.

"It takes 2-3 seconds for the voice to respond", however regrets Zeng Zhenzhen, a student of 22 years old who uses Weiban. "It's a bit sad because then you clearly realize that it's just a robot" but the answers "very realistic" make "still want to call him", she said.

Artificial intelligence regularly raises fears regarding privacy. What happens to the personal details that a user entrusts to it ? Baidu did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Glow user Tufei is already dreaming of the future: "I'hopes to have a robot as a friend , humanoid, which would function with artificial intelligence", she fantasizes. I could feel his body heat, with which he would warm me."