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Agence France-Presse

At a shopping centre in Beijing, Zhang Yachun murmurs quietly to her closest confidant, a fluffy, AI-powered robot whose soothing chirps remind her that she is not alone.
Zhang, 19, has long battled anxiety over school and work, and has struggled to form deep friendships with other people.
But since buying a BooBoo, a “smart pet” that uses artificial intelligence to interact with humans, she says life has become easier.
“I feel like I now have someone to share the happy times with,” says Zhang in the apartment she shares with her parents and a real pet duck.

Across China, a growing number of people are turning to AI to combat social isolation as the technology becomes more mature and widely accepted.
Wriggly, furry and resembling a guinea pig, BooBoo is produced by Hangzhou Genmoor Technology and retails for up to 1,400 yuan (US$190).
Developed with children’s social needs in mind, it has sold about 1,000 units since May, according to the company’s product manager Adam Duan.
On an outing this month, Zhang ferried her companion, which she named “Aluo”, in a cross-body carrier, whispering to the rugby-ball-sized creature as it nodded and squeaked.
At a pet shop, she pressed the beige bundle up against the window to admire a ginger cat before buying Aluo a tiny winter coat designed for a dog.
She says the robot plays the same role as human friends, adding: “[It] makes you feel you are someone who is needed.”
Children in cities seem to be under a lot more pressure, so they may lack friends
Zhang’s father, on why young people turn to AI robots
The global market for “social robots” like BooBoo is expected to grow by a factor of seven to US$42.5 billion by 2033, according to consulting firm Imarc Group, with Asia already dominating the sector.
For Guo Zichen, 33, a smart pet could help when he is unable to play with his child.
“Right now, family members are spending less time with the children,” Guo says as he examines a robotic dog on sale at the flagship store of tech company Weilan in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing.
“Buying one for my kid can help them with studying and other things,” he says.

Weilan’s AI dog, called BabyAlpha, sells for between 8,000 and 26,000 yuan, and the company says 70 per cent of buyers are families with young children.
But Guo says he is sceptical the electronic pup could bring as much joy as an actual canine.
“The biggest difference is that dogs have souls, while [BabyAlpha] looks different in an indescribable way”, he says.
“On the whole, you feel like it’s not the same as the real thing.”
While the 1990s introduced electronic pets to the world like Japan’s digital Tamagotchis and American-made Furbies that could mimic speech, computerised companions are becoming more functional with AI.

A growing number of AI products in China cater to people’s emotional needs, from conversational chatbots to lifelike avatars of the deceased.
Social shifts like the impact of the government’s decades-long one-child policy are helping drive market growth, according to experts.
People born in the policy’s early years are now in their forties and facing an economy burdened with soaring home prices, higher living costs and increased work stress, stretching their ability to focus on their own children.
That, in turn, “leaves little room for personal interactions, prompting people to seek alternative ways to meet their emotional needs”, says Wu Haiyan, a professor specialising in AI and psychology at the University of Macau.
AI companions provide cognitive stimulation, “enhancing the well-being of … individuals who may otherwise feel isolated”, Wu says.
In some cases, she adds, people show more trust in AI than humans.

Zhang’s father, Peng, says he understands his daughter’s bond with Aluo.
“When we were young, we didn’t lack friends. We had loads as soon as we stepped out of the door,” says the 51-year-old. “Now, children in cities seem to be under a lot more pressure, so they may lack friends.”
Zhang, an only child, says she has become more willing to share her worries with her parents since she bought Aluo.
Opening up about her troubles at school has meant that “there aren’t as many things piled up in my heart”, she says.
People of her generation often struggle to communicate face to face, Zhang says, adding that “they might be afraid” to express who they are.
“But what they feel inside has not changed”, she adds, cradling Aluo in her lap.


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Artificial intelligence

Children interact with an AI dog in Nanjing. Photo: AFP 

Beijing teenager Zhang Yachun with her AI-powered robot. The smart pet market is expected to grow sevenfold by 2033. Photo: AFP

Zhang with her parents and her furry, AI-powered robot at their home in Beijing. Photo: AFP

A child interacts with an AI pet dog at a Weilan store in Nanjing, China. Photo: AFP

Guo thinks AI dogs can help children study, but is sceptical as to whether they can bring as much joy as real dogs, who have souls. Photo: AFP

Zhang plays with Aluo and her pet duck Nana at her home in Beijing. Zhang’s father says he understands his daughter’s bond with her AI-powered robot. Photo: AFP

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Icons for the smartphone apps RedNote, or Xiaohongshu in Chinese, and TikTok on a Chinese smartphone screen. Photo: AP

The welcome message users see in step 2 of our guide to setting up an account to use the RedNote Chinese short video app on your phone. Photo: RedNote

Step 3 in the setting up of a RedNote account on your phone. Photo: RedNote

The login page of RedNote, step 4 in our guide to setting up and using the app. Photo: RedNote

Step 6 in setting up a RedNote account. Photo: RedNote

Step 7 in setting up a RedNote account. Photo: RedNote

Step 9 of the RedNote installation and set-up. After this you can begin exploring the Chinese app. Photo: RedNote

The online shopping feature on RedNote. Photo: RedNote 

The Nearby feed on RedNote. Photo: RedNote 

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Anna Barnacka is CEO and president of MindMics. Photo: Facebook/mindmics.old

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Lifestyle

Gadgets

Family & Relationships

In the 90s there were Tamagotchis. Now a new generation of sophisticated AI pets is providing connection in an increasingly stressful world


In the 90s there were Tamagotchis. Now a new generation of sophisticated AI pets is providing connection in an increasingly stressful world.


China

Mental health

Parenting: teens

Gen Z