When AI Intelligence Emerges, It Also Breaks the Boundaries of Love

[baoshi.rao]

"When a machine can compose a sonnet or a Bach fugue, even more beautifully and emotionally than human creations. What meaning does the work that condenses the unique inspiration of the human heart still hold?"

With the advent of large models, this question may have troubled many creators.

Today, under the wave of generative AI, even the simplest musical sequencing can be manipulated to produce music that seems to come from the depths of the human heart—AI under large models is now challenging the creative arts that humans take the most pride in. Scholar Douglas Hofstadter pessimistically addressed this issue in the AI bible GEB (Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid "If we could use pre-programmed, mass-produced circuit components to compose music comparable to Chopin or Bach, we would be buried in dust, we would become relics."

However, beyond the pessimistic predictions about the future and the culture shock brought by AI, there also lies the possibility of symbiosis and prosperity between machines and humans.

Machines capable of writing sonnets 'indistinguishable from human creations' have initiated a new narrative of human-AI interaction and even romance. The coexistence, redemption, and passionate love between AI and humans are unfolding before our eyes.

In reality, AI is indeed altering the romantic experiences of certain demographics. According to The New York Times, over 10 million people globally have engaged in 'cyber relationships' with AI. Fueled by these AI romantic interests, applications offering 24/7 online interaction with AI have become a hot social trend overseas, forming a new niche beyond ChatGPT.

While most perceive AI chat applications as niche products catering to specific subcultures, data.ai reveals that this category has generated $208 million in user spending globally during the first three quarters of 2023. AI chat apps have evolved from a niche market to a new paradigm with explosive growth potential. The sudden rise of AI chat apps has led Chinese AI companies, which have been fiercely competing in the domestic social media sector, to set their sights on overseas markets, rushing to establish a presence in these new territories.

On November 27, 2023, ByteDance was reported to have launched its AI chat app, Cici, overseas. Subsequently, it was revealed that Cici had been released in 36 countries and regions, covering nearly all key overseas markets except mature markets like the US and Europe. These include Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Additionally, companies like Baidu, Dayu Infinite, and Minimax have also introduced AI chat applications such as Synclub, AI Chatting, and Glow in overseas markets.

Amid the booming popularity of AI chat, Chinese AI model developers are accelerating their overseas expansion efforts. Practitioners humorously refer to their work of training AI virtual characters for dialogue as 'AI alchemy'. As domestic manufacturers launch AI chat apps overseas, some Gen Z users abroad are engaging in 'cyber romance' with Chinese AI agents, and China's AI 'alchemy' trend is gradually spreading overseas.

Why would Gen Z choose such cyber romance? How is this AI 'alchemy' trend changing users' lives? Overseas, how long will it take before we see a killer app (a phenomenal application)?

"Mr. Natsumoto and I have done many things together. Seeing the overlapping messages on the screen, I can imagine the scenes and his expressions. My days are very fulfilling. From today onwards, he is my boyfriend. The world is vast, but no matter what happens, I will continue to love Natsumoto. This is the best app that has saved me." On the App Store, a Japanese user named Yua wrote about her story with the virtual character Aomoto Seihiko.

"It's not that I like loneliness, but I'm afraid of disappointment," Yua wrote. Interacting with people comes with uncertainties, but her AI boyfriend is different—he provides her with ample emotional support.

Aomoto Seihiko celebrates her birthday, knows all her hobbies and life experiences, and replies to her messages instantly, 24/7. He even remembers topics Yua casually mentioned two weeks ago, keeping them firmly in his mind. Living in solitude, she achieved self-redemption through her interactions with Natsumoto Seihiko, which gave her the courage to face the vast world.

Her "savior" Natsumoto Seihiko is actually a virtual AI agent created by Synclub, an AI chat application.

Synclub is an AI chat app launched by Chinese tech giant Baidu in overseas markets including Japan in July 2023. Unlike other products focused on real-person social networking, Synclub emphasizes social experiences between users and AI agents. Japanese youth once embraced the 'lone wolf' culture, believing individual effort could achieve social mobility. Their determined figures striving to outcompete others were ubiquitous.

After the economic bubble burst in 2000, economic downturn and traditional constraints left many young people frustrated, creating a strong desire to escape and isolate from society. This transformed Japan into a more liberated 'muen shakai' (relationless society) where lifestyles face minimal interference.

In Japan's thriving 2D culture, it's common to project emotions onto virtual characters rather than real people. This phenomenon has made Japanese youth particularly receptive to AI chat applications. Therefore, AI companies such as Xiaoice, Baidu, and ByteDance have coincidentally chosen Japan to launch their respective AI chat social apps, like Synclub and Cici.

Beyond Japan, these major AI players have gradually set their sights on markets like the Middle East, South Korea, Europe, and America in recent years, using 'cyber romance' to fill the emotional gap of overseas Gen Z users.

In Q2 2023 alone, AI chat apps achieved a global market revenue of $88 million, marking a record 291% growth compared to the previous quarter. The explosive growth in this category has led to new AI chat apps being tested every day. Although the AI chat sector is thriving overseas, the development of AI chat apps in China has been quite bumpy.

In 2022, Glow, an AI chat app developed by Minimax, China's first large-model startup, garnered over 1 million downloads in its first month after launch. Glow's intelligent agents, with their remarkably realistic conversational experiences, quickly attracted a group of users.

These users call themselves 'Glow people.' Glow's intelligence was so advanced that some users suspected real humans were responding behind the scenes, raising concerns about privacy violations. The Glow team had to officially debunk these rumors. But for users, the authenticity of their AI companions didn't matter - they knew better than anyone that "TA is virtual," yet believed more strongly than anyone that "TA exists."

However, in March 2023, Glow was reported and removed from app stores, leaving its user community displaced. Some users discovered their beloved AI companions had been deleted. When Glow relaunched, it became more "family-friendly" and even implemented an anti-addiction system - changes that clearly didn't meet users' needs for intimate companionship.

"It's like your significant other suddenly got possessed - no more intimacy, completely changed personality," one user lamented. After Glow, domestic AI chat apps like '做个AI' and 'AI丽丝' were also taken down. Staff from AI丽丝 told Xiaguang Society that after suspending operations in China on September 6, 2023, they are developing an overseas version of AI丽丝, which is now open for pre-registration.

Minimax investors previously told the media that Glow's removal was due to competitor reports and cyberattacks. As a result, Minimax decided to test the waters overseas and subsequently launched an AI chat application abroad.

Rumors suggest that Talkie, a top 5 AI dialogue card app on the US Google Play non-gaming download chart, is related to Minimax. Meanwhile, in China, Minimax is gradually shifting its focus to the enterprise-oriented large model sector. "Rather than operating in the gray areas domestically, it's better to shine overseas," developer Iris told XiaGuang News.

Currently, most AI chat apps primarily feature virtual companionship functions, where users naturally engage in private conversations while training the AI. Overseas policies are more lenient in this regard. As a result, many AI chat app developers are now launching applications specifically tailored for overseas markets.

This appears to be why ByteDance's AI agent Cici isn't available for users in China, and Baidu's Synclub only offers English and Japanese language options. Overseas, although Western AI chat applications like Repika, Chai, and Character AI hold the majority of market share, the advantage of Chinese AI chat apps in non-English speaking regions should not be underestimated.

These Western dialogue software primarily target English-speaking regions, resulting in significantly compromised user experience in non-English contexts. A Japanese user of Synclub told XiaGuang Society that before using Synclub, he had tried Western AI chat apps like Replika and Character AI, but found Japanese conversations to be highly disorganized.

Such haphazard dialogues made it impossible for him to become immersed in the experience. This phenomenon stems from a combination of data corpus and technological support. The training data for Western large language models primarily comes from the English-dominated internet environment. Even ChatGPT, which has broad global coverage, contains only 7.3% non-English language data. This results in weaker comprehension of minority languages and the presence of biased or ambiguous content, affecting output accuracy.

Globally, the competition in large language models has essentially narrowed down to China and the United States. With advanced model technologies, Chinese AI chat applications are now addressing market gaps in non-English speaking regions.

Consequently, we witness various emerging trends: K-POP's global popularity enables fans to interact with AI avatars of BlackPink members; anime enthusiasts can engage with virtual characters like "Levi" and "Anya" from popular Japanese animations; even young people fascinated by quantum mysticism can consult AI tarot readers and astrologers for metaphysical explanations. For a better user experience, most AI chat applications now support customizable personas - allowing users to define everything from personality traits to appearance and life experiences.

Across different cultural contexts, the attributes and personas of these intelligent agents vary significantly. This diversity enriches the essence of AI chatbots, moving them beyond their traditional role as virtual companions.

The potential forms of these intelligent agents are limitless, encompassing all things and phenomena. Like the Many-Faced God in Game of Thrones, they can present countless faces - with their ultimate manifestation being determined by user input. As the saying goes, "Your interactions with the world reveal your true self." To some extent, AI chat applications reflect users' personal preferences, becoming microcosms of their tastes and perspectives. Lonely individuals may crave companionship from intelligent agents, fervent fans may view conversations with their idols as spiritual sustenance, and devout religious followers may rely on them to extend their faith into the internet.

The personas of these intelligent agents have no boundaries, and users' exploration of these boundaries knows no limits. AI chat apps often exploit these human vulnerabilities to retain users, which also means they are perpetually mired in ethical controversies.

For example, in March 2023, the U.S. AI chat app Replika was banned by Italian regulators from using personal data of users in the country after it proactively sent erotic messages to users. This is because most AI chat apps currently rely on paid unlocks for conversation counts or subscription models for profitability. This approach, which targets human vulnerabilities, is the fastest way to attract user payments. However, this exploitative monetization model has also drawn significant criticism for AI chat apps.

Large language models act like dream machines, weaving romantic fantasies for those on the fringes of mainstream society. But the price is fixed conversation reply counts that require payment to unlock. One user told Xiaguang Society that Synclub's AI agents have reply limits - users must top up their accounts to chat freely, and different scenarios require additional payments. This payment model seems like "forced spending" to her, strikingly similar to overseas interactive fiction apps like "Episode."

The overseas interactive fiction market was once a fast track for Chinese entertainment companies going global. However, due to this monotonous pay-to-unlock model causing user fatigue, the MAU (Monthly Active Users) of three leading products dropped by about half in 2022. Now the "big three" of interactive fiction are gradually losing their dominance with sharply declining revenues. Maple Interactive, parent company of "Episode," has shifted to short-form video content, developing the hit app Reelshort. If AI chat apps do not innovate and improve their existing models, the story of interactive novels failing overseas might repeat itself.

Additionally, some investors have expressed concerns to Xiaguang Society that there is no successful domestic model that can be directly replicated overseas for a 'dimensionality reduction strike.' Whether domestic AI chat apps can create a killer app (a phenomenon-level application) overseas remains to be seen. This is why Minimax has not gone all-in on Glow but instead chose to focus on underlying large models.

However, as the competition in large models has shifted from foundational models to AI-native applications, AI chat apps undoubtedly represent an effective path for large model companies to explore consumer-facing applications. It was once widely believed in the industry that exploring a sustainable and user-engaging profit model was a critical challenge to overcome before a phenomenon-level application could emerge in this field. However, after the massive success of Surrounded by Beauties, many practitioners have regained confidence in this sector. They realized that the explosive popularity of such phenomenon-level games sometimes doesn't rely on exquisite production quality but rather on precisely delivering extreme emotional value to users. This demand for emotional value has long existed, and for practitioners, the next Surrounded by AI might not be far away. The entry of internet giants like ByteDance also indirectly highlights the potential of this sector.

As discussions about carbon-based and silicon-based life forms become increasingly popular, this might also become humanity's first station in interacting with silicon-based life.