A Chinese AI girl group has sparked intense online backlash after announcing that one of its virtual members was “pregnant” to explain her departure.
BABYQUEEN, a four-member, K-pop-style AI girl group managed in Liaoning province in northeastern China, formed in September and has around 1,100 followers.
On October 13, the group posted an announcement written from member Mity’s perspective. Saying she was “pregnant” and would pause all public activities, Mity asked fans to respect her privacy and her new life, without identifying the “father.”
The post went viral, attracting more than 78 million views on Weibo and igniting fierce debate over the boundaries of humanlike identities for digital personas.