China's chilling AI sex doll industry is selling hyperrealistic 'companions' to lonely men
WMDoll, one of the country's top manufacturers, is expecting a 30% spike in sales this year, driven in part by men who are unable to find romantic partners. 'It makes the dolls more responsive and interactive, which offers users a better experience,' said Liu Jiangxia, CEO of WMDoll, in an interview with South China Morning Post.
What sets these dolls apart from their mechanical predecessors is their AI-enhanced 'MetaBox' brain, which sends data to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. The responses from the LLMs then dictate how the dolls move, speak, and react in real time.
While these so-called "love dolls" have a metal skeleton, their silicone skin mimics human warmth and texture. They also have a feature to regulate body temperature and sensors to simulate touch.
These dolls can be programmed with up to eight different personalities, retain memories of past conversations and ask emotional questions like, 'How was your day?' or 'Are we okay?'
'In the past, these dolls' primary function was to satisfy users' sexual needs. But as their physical features became more realistic, our customers started to seek emotional companionship," Jiangxia said.
Shenzhen Atall Intelligent Robot Technology, another major love doll creator, revealed that its biggest customer base is middle-aged men from Europe and the US. Many of these men request darker skin tones and exaggerated physical traits, while domestic customers in China prefer more subtle, Asian aesthetics.
China manufactures over 80% of the world's sex toys, contributing to a $6.6 billion industry employing more than a million people. But as the technology advances, so do the concerns. Chinese feminist Xiao Meili said, 'A lot of men want the same for women: sex, housework, childbirth, and filial piety. They don't think of women as individuals. If every nerd buys a sex doll for himself, that would free a lot of women from these kinds of men.'
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