Young Chinese Turn to AI 'Smart Pets' for Emotional Support

Photo : AFP

In a shopping mall in Beijing, 19-year-old Zhang Yachun talks quietly to her closest friend, a fluffy robot that makes soft sounds to remind her that she isn’t alone. Zhang has been struggling with anxiety about school and work. She finds it hard to make close friends, but since getting a "smart pet" robot named BooBoo, her life has become a bit easier.

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"I feel like I now have someone to share happy times with," Zhang said. She lives in an apartment with her parents and a real pet duck. But now, she feels good having BooBoo, a robot that can interact like a pet, to keep her company.

More and more people in China are turning to robots like BooBoo to help with loneliness. As technology improves, more people are accepting these robots as companions. BooBoo looks like a small, furry guinea pig and costs around 1,400 yuan (about $190). The company that makes BooBoo, Hangzhou Genmoor Technology, has sold about 1,000 robots since May.

Zhang calls her robot friend "Aluo." She carries it with her and sometimes buys clothes for it. She even bought a small winter coat for Aluo. Zhang treats Aluo just like a real friend. The robot makes sounds and nods, and it helps Zhang feel that someone needs her.

The market for robots like BooBoo is growing. Experts say the market could be worth $42.5 billion by 2033. In China, these robots are becoming very popular, especially with people who feel lonely or need emotional support.

A father named Guo Zichen also wants to buy a robot for his child. He visited a store in Nanjing and looked at a robotic dog called "BabyAlpha." This robot costs between 8,000 yuan ($1,090) and 26,000 yuan ($3,500). Guo thinks it could help his child when he can’t spend time with them. But he believes a real dog would make his child happier. "Dogs have souls," he said.

The rise in popularity of robots like BooBoo is also because of changes in Chinese society. For many years, China’s one-child policy meant that many children grew up without brothers or sisters. Now, many of these people are in their 40s, and they are dealing with work pressure, high living costs, and family stress. Because of this, people don’t have much time for friends, so they turn to robots for comfort.

Experts like Wu Haiyan, a professor at the University of Macau, say robots can help people feel better by being someone to talk to. Sometimes, people trust robots more than they trust real people.

Zhang’s father, Peng, understands why his daughter likes Aluo so much. When he was young, making friends was easy. But now, children in cities feel more pressure and have fewer chances to make close friends. Zhang says that since she got Aluo, she feels better talking to her parents about her school problems. “There aren’t as many things piled up in my heart,” she said.

Zhang also says it’s hard for people her age to talk face-to-face with others. "They might be afraid to express who they are," she explained. But she believes what people feel inside hasn’t changed. "What they feel inside has not changed," she said, holding Aluo in her lap.