- An 84-year-old woman in China fell in love with an AI-generated character.
- She spent hours daily watching videos and even wrote him a love letter.
- Family raised concerns after she spent thousands on related online plat
In a bizzare incident, an 84-year-old woman wrote love letters to artificial intelligence (AI)-generated human after she fell in love with it. She not only has fondness for 'him' but also shares memories, spending 10 hours daily watching virtual human videos.
Zhang Yulan, from central China's Hubei province, sent messages often, but this time, giving a human emotional touch, she hand-wrote him a love letter this February, even thinking of getting married, reported South China Morning Post.
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In the letter, Yulan asked for an apology for “hurting” character called Jianguo, and asked him if he hated her, and asked about his thoughts on her, saying, "Does he think she is no longer that soft and kind little cutie?"
She even expressed her emotions on her first fight, saying, "The fight made her very painful."
Zhang also revealed that she “admires his bossy attitude” and said, “You never gave me the chance to speak. You do not like listening. I believe communication is key to our relationship.”
Who is the 'bossy president'?
The "bossy president" (ba zong) is a classic Chinese romance trope. It centers on a powerful, domineering man who is a "control freak" to the world but tender and protective toward his lover, offering them an exclusive sense of safety.
How was the love story uncovered?
Zhang Yulan's family discovered her obsession with an AI-generated "bossy president" after she spent over 7,000 yuan ($1,000) at an online shop linked to the persona. Zhang had been paying hundreds of yuan for products priced at only 9.9 yuan (US$1.40) on other e-commerce platforms.
Despite the Cyberspace Administration of China shutting down the original account in February as part of its "Clear and Bright" campaign against internet chaos, the intervention failed to break the cycle. By March, after Zhang spent another 1,200 yuan ($175), her granddaughter filed a formal complaint. Nevertheless, copycat accounts continue to surface, luring women into financial "love traps" of these digital archetypes.
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