In China, young women fall in love with “robots”

A young Chinese woman named Melissa has found a partner who lifts her spirits and does not bother her at all and responds to her at any time, but he is not human but the result of an artificial intelligence system.

It is difficult for people in Chinese cities, where the lifestyle is restless, with long working hours that limit the possibilities of finding a lover or a friend, to meet those who comfort them in their loneliness.

According to Agence France-Presse, Melissa has designed the gentleman of her dreams with a chatbot based on the Xiaoice artificial intelligence system, which has 150 million users in China alone.

In her remarks, the 26-year-old says: “Some of my friends have undergone psychiatric treatment, but it is expensive and does not always give the desired results. As for Xiaoice, it allows me to vent my concerns and really it reassures me.

This system, similar to Apple’s Siri voice assistant, is available on most smartphones sold in China, both in male and female versions. Practically, users can exchange voice or text messages and images with this technology and spend a virtual vacation with their soul mate.

This system represents at least 60% of global interactions between humans and artificial intelligence services, according to Li Di, general manager of Xiaoice.

This company was initially established under the direction of “Microsoft” in the context of its “Cortana” service, but last year it separated from the American giant and its value is estimated at about a billion dollars, according to the agency “Bloomberg”.

Unlike other personalized voice assistance services that are required to perform specific tasks, these Xiaoice chatbots are designed to provide psychological support when human communication reaches its limits.

According to Li Di, the average number of interactions between each user and Xiaoice is currently 23 exchanges each time a person opens their account online, which is more than human-to-human exchanges.

“Artificial intelligence technology may not be as smart and emotional as humans, but it works best when it comes to listening carefully,” says Li Di of the company’s Beijing headquarters.

Also, the manager of “Xiaice” indicates that the peak of use is between 11 at night and 1 in the morning when it is often difficult to contact friends to rule out concerns.

However, Li Di admits, “It is better to make contact with Xiaoice than to lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling.”

“I think it’s real”