Chinese AI Girl Group Sparks Backlash Over Virtual Member’s ‘Pregnancy’

A Chinese girl group powered by artificial intelligence has stirred anger and debate online after announcing that one of its virtual members was “pregnant.”

The announcement applied a real-world biological experience to an artificial character, placing the group’s fictional persona at the centre of the controversy.

The supplied information does not identify the group or the virtual member involved. It also gives no details about how the announcement was presented or whether it formed part of a wider storyline.

The backlash highlights the tension between developing virtual entertainers as lifelike personalities and the limits of the experiences attributed to them. In this case, the pregnancy claim brought that divide into sharp focus.