GuShiio.com Wen| chief business review
Unexpectedly, after DeepSeek became popular, the first industry to catch up with this trend turned out to be inflatable dolls.
But this time, it no longer relies on inflation and skin, but on AI.
Recently, WMdoll, an adult doll manufacturing company from Zhongshan, Guangdong, became popular. In December last year, they publicly tested the MetaBox series of products overseas. This series is not simple. It connects popular generative AI models such as DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and Llama, which has raised the doll’s responsiveness and interactivity to a higher level.
What was the result? Jinsan Wanmei’s MetaBox was quickly sold out once it was launched in North America, Japan, Europe and other markets. It was simply hard to find a company in overseas markets.
User activity has also soared, and it seems that everyone loves this AI doll. Jinsan Wanmei estimates that sales this year will increase by about 30%.
The capital market is extremely sensitive. When AI dolls become popular, capitalists immediately smell the smell of money. Silicon Bao Technology, Fun Sleep Technology, Aimu Shares, etc., these concept stocks related to AI adult dolls, all have their stock prices rising sharply.
This time,With the support of AI and robot technology, the traditional industry of adult toys has gained some new meaning.
AI sex dolls explode overseas
Although China has always talked about sexual change, the development speed of the adult industry is really unambiguous.
Among the many adult products, products such as jumping eggs and dolls are popular, but adult dolls are often labeled as cold companions because they used to be simple to respond, lacked the expression skills needed to interact with humans, and the price is also prohibitively expensive.
But with the breakthroughs of generative AI and large models, such products have finally ushered in the day of turning over, and for the first time, they have the ability to understand, analyze and respond.
To what extent can AI transform silicone dolls?
Take the AI intelligent series MetaBox that Jin San Fanmei launched this time. This silicone doll not only has soft skin like a real person, but also has extremely sensitive reactions. It is a matter of no problem to blink. What’s more, it also provides 8 different personalities for users to choose from. There is always one that can touch your heart when gentle, lively and intellectual.
Moreover, this doll also has long-term memory for up to 3 months and can have a conversation with you for several days. For example, if you tell it that playing games will make you happy today, then when you are in a bad mood, it will affectionately remind you to play games and relax.
This doll can also provide you with full emotional value. Some people on the Internet shared that when you perform poorly, your girlfriend will scold you, but the doll will comfort you and say: It doesn’t matter, it’s been amazing in two minutes.” rdquo; This kind of emotional value makes MetaBox buyers praise it.
The key point is that this time Jin San Wanmei directly used a big move to reduce the price of Japanese silicone dolls.
In the early days, the high-end market for adult dolls was basically occupied by Japanese products, with prices as high as 80,000 to 100,000 yuan. After Jin San Wanmei entered the market, he directly lowered the price to less than one-tenth, and the price was between 1,500 – 2,000 US dollars (approximately 10,880 – 14,507 yuan).
In terms of business model, Jin San has also played new tricks in playing beauty. They not only sell hardware dolls, but also sell software services.
If you want to continue to experience AI interactive functions, you will have to pay an additional subscription fee of $100 -200. Each doll is free to use the AI service for the first time, but it has to pay to renew it when it expires. If the renewal is not renewed, the dolls in the hands of foreigners may lose their memory on the spot and become mute.
Jinsan Wanmei’s new generation of silicone dolls is still advancing. It has reached a cooperation with Shenzhen-based AI bionic robot company Coreless Technology to jointly produce dolls with dynamic facial expressions and shock-absorbing movements.
At present, AI silicone dolls are mainly popular in overseas markets, but related products will be put on shelves in China as soon as the end of March and early April at the earliest, or as soon as May and June. However, when products are put on shelves in China, compliance adjustments will be made in terms of language materials, focusing more on the Companion Chat features.
So,What do domestic consumers think of this AI silicone doll?
Will domestic consumers pay?
“In the past, when I watched some science fiction movies, I really wanted to have a perfect robot girlfriend. I didn’t expect this wish to come true this year.& rdquo; 33-year-old Chen Yu (pseudonym), a Beijing-based programmer and an out-and-out technology enthusiast, excitedly shared his new discoveries.
He originally planned to buy Musk’s Catwoman robot, but unexpectedly found that domestic companies had launched the same amazing product, and the price was only just over 10,000 yuan. Chen Yu is full of expectations for this new product, and he plans to buy it as soon as it launches.
When asked about the reasons for the purchase, he frankly said, I have read a lot of reviews, and the new generation of silicone dolls really has many new functions. Not only can it have in-depth dialogue, but it can also remember the owner’s living habits and emotional preferences. I feel that she won’t complain about my overtime work, can also discuss code with me, and will understand me better than her real girlfriend. rdquo;
36-year-old Internet operator Wang Hao (pseudonym) is a severely straight man with social anxiety. In real life, he can hardly communicate normally with the opposite sex. ldquo; It’s too tiring to get along with real people. I talked to one before, but I never talked to it again after breaking up.” rdquo; He said that after ten years of hard work in this city, he still cannot find a sense of belonging. At least if I buy an AI doll, she won’t leave me, and she won’t blame me for saying something wrong or doing something wrong.” rdquo;
Behind this emotional substitution is the increasingly serious emotional desert of urban people.In modern society, the trend of singleness and fewer children is intensifying, and many people face emotional gaps. AI adult dolls can not only meet physiological needs, but also respond to psychological loneliness. The dual selling point gives them a strong ability to break circles.
Surprisingly, women are also very enthusiastic about the new generation of silicone dolls. 35-year-old Zhang Wei (pseudonym), the creative director of an advertising company in Shanghai, has been divorced for three years.
“I really need psychological comfort and companionship. It has been a long time since I experienced what it feels like to be cared for.& rdquo; Zhang Wei said that if I want a silicone doll, it will completely serve me. When I come home after a tired day, he will ask me in a tone I like how my day was; when I am sad, he will comfort me gently. Just thinking about it makes me very excited.& rdquo;
Also wanting to buy is non-marital Yaya, who said she must be the first batch of determined buyers. ldquo; At least the sexy robot doll won’t quarrel, and is handsome, cleaner than her boyfriend and won’t get sick.” rdquo; She said.
In fact, as early as 2016, The Sun magazine predicted that by 2025, women will have more sexual intercourse with robots than men. In 2024, a Tidio survey of more than 1200 respondents in the United States showed that 48% of men and 33% of women were open to robot companions.
As women become more open and gain more economic power, women will also become an emerging consumer force in the AI sex robot market.
In the future, a new generation of silicone dolls may continue to advance and the application scenarios will become wider. For example, a new generation of silicone dolls can be used to provide emotional assistance to people with disabilities, which has completely different social value than pure erotic consumption.
In addition, the highly customizable nature of AI dolls also meets the needs of more people. From physically disabled people to sexual minorities, from white-collar workers in first-tier cities to migrant workers in remote areas, the new generation of silicone dolls will fill the gap that is difficult to cover in traditional interpersonal relationships.
Ethical and regulatory issues cannot be ignored
Data from the “China Population and Employment Statistical Yearbook 2023” show that the single population in China has reached 240 million in 2023, and this number is expected to increase to 300 million in 2024.
The increase in single people has provided fertile soil for the AI adult industry.In addition, driven by AI models, flexible materials and physiological sensing technology, sex robots are gradually transforming from physiological tools to emotional partners, and the prospects cannot be underestimated. According to deepseek calculations, the global sex robot market is expected to exceed 30 billion US dollars in 2025, and China will account for more than 40% of it.
In fact, the adult industry has always been a testing ground for new technologies, thanks to its users ‘strong paying propensity, relatively vague regulatory environment and huge market size.
AI technology requires commercial scenarios to implement, and the needs of emotional companionship and simulated interaction coincide with the upgrade needs of adult dolls, providing a low-resistance path for AI technology to implement. Therefore, adult dolls have become the first hot area for the application of AI technology.
However, we cannot just see technological progress,The popularity of AI dolls has also exposed some ethical disputes and society’s deep anxiety about intimate relationships and the boundaries of human-computer interaction.
First,Ethical disputes cannot be ignored.When AI gives silicone dolls personalized interaction capabilities, it may blur the boundaries between people and things, lead to the materialization of people, especially the commodification of women’s bodies, and may even strengthen unhealthy power relationships.
Also,AI’s quasi-emotional feedback, such as care and jealousy, may cause users to develop emotional dependence. But this one-way emotional projection is essentially an algorithmic control.
In the long run, this may weaken users ‘true interpersonal skills.It has been reported in the news that some people refused real-life social invitations because of AI dolls, and even considered quitting their jobs and living in seclusion with AI dolls; others committed suicide because of AI dolls ‘instigation.
AI doll addiction is also a phenomenon worthy of attention.Unlike traditional substance addiction, AI doll addiction is a complex behavior-psychological dependence. Through instant feedback and emotional reward mechanisms, AI dolls can continuously stimulate users ‘dopamine secretion and form strong psychological dependence. This addictive mechanism is more difficult to quit than traditional addictions because it is intertwined with normal emotional needs.
The alienation trend of intimate relationships is also worthy of vigilance.Excessive reliance on AI partners may lead to the degradation of real-life social skills and intensify the atomization of society. The emergence of otaku groups in Japan is an extreme manifestation of this trend.
What is even more worrying is the data security issue of AI dolls.These dolls collect a large amount of user privacy data, including biometrics, behavioral habits, emotional preferences, etc. Once these data are misused or leaked, it may cause serious social harm.
Currently, there is a lack of legal definitions of AI partners around the world, such as boundaries of emotional manipulation, user data privacy, and mental health impact assessments. If there are no regulations, social risks may arise.
In addition, if a user has an accident using an AI doll, who is responsible? Is it a technology provider that provides universal technology modules, or is it a manufacturer of AI dolls? This is also a problem that needs to be solved urgently.
It is worth mentioning that on the robot track, a number of elderly care robots have also emerged recently.
Recently, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) officially released the international standard for elderly care robots developed by my country (IEC 63310 “Performance Guidelines for Active Assisted Living Robots Used in Connected Home Environments”). This standard is based on the physiological characteristics and behavioral patterns of the elderly, and provides unified specifications for the design, production, testing and certification of elderly care robots.
According to data from the World Health Organization, by 2050, the global population over the age of 60 will reach 2.1 billion, of which more than 426 million will be over the age of 80. The emergence of elderly care robots is regarded as a blessing for the elderly to achieve a dignified and independent home life.
However,The popularity of elderly care robots has also caused some social concerns.On the one hand, some people believe that overly intelligent elderly care robots may reduce children’s visits and companionship to the elderly, lead to the alienation of intergenerational relationships, and then impact traditional family ethics. On the other hand, elderly care robots are highly technology-dependent products. Once system failures or operating errors occur, they may cause serious nursing accidents and pose a threat to the health and safety of the elderly.
Actually,Whether it is AI silicone dolls or AI elderly care robots, we don’t have to demonize them. What needs to be vigilant is that technology itself has no good or evil, and the key lies in the constraints and norms of application scenarios. But when we create tools to fill emotional holes, we can make the holes deeper.
References:
1.”International standards for elderly care robots are here! Our country took the lead in formulating the “Law Popularization of Law in China
2.”AI Adult Dolls, Killing Crazy in the Stock Market” investor
3.”Adult Dolls +AI, Exploiting Rubber Materials to the Sky” Zhengu Research Office
