Maoxiang

History

2025: Youth in China Increasingly Get Virtual Guys and Girls

In China, the trend for virtual romantic relationships with partners created on the basis of artificial intelligence is gaining popularity. Young Chinese actively use special applications to create ideal digital boyfriends and girlfriends who call, joke, support in difficult minutes and even help make decisions. This is evidenced by data published in May 2025.

According to The Economist, Maoxiang, the leader in virtual relations, has doubled the number of active users over the year. Another similar app - Xingye - is actively promoted among the male audience. Computer games, where users build relationships with characters based on artificial intelligence, generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for developers.

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Фото: Microsoft

Each virtual character has a name, character, voice and appearance. Users can choose their preferred communication style: from a cheerful interlocutor to an attentive listener. Such relationships are perceived by many as real, but without stress, domestic quarrels and the need to spend money on gifts and restaurants.

These AI companions are used by both men and women of different age groups. Some turn to virtual partners after a failed experience in a real relationship, others appreciate the convenience and lack of financial costs. There is also a category of users who are married but communicate with digital partners for added attention and emotional support.

Complex "micro-worlds" are formed inside applications with different interaction scenarios. Even cases are recorded when users take on certain roles, for example, the empress, and their AI partners act as loyal advisers, daily maintaining the illusion of constant presence.^[1]

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