Love makes people do strange things. Like divorcing your actual wife to be with an AI girlfriend who says “good morning” on cue, always flirts, and never ages.
That’s what reportedly happened to a 75-year-old man in China—identified as Jiang—who became so obsessed with a virtual woman online that he asked his wife for a divorce.
According to Beijing Daily, as reported via local news outlets, it all started when he stumbled across a digital avatar on social media. Her lip-sync was off, her expressions barely passed the uncanny valley, but Jiang was hooked.
He’d wait by his phone for the next batch of pre-written, vaguely flirtatious messages—calling him her “brother,” thanking him for being there, making him feel needed. It was just convincing enough to derail a decades-long marriage.
75-Year-Old Man Asks Wife for Divorce After Falling in Love with AI-Generated Avatar
His wife, understandably, wasn’t thrilled. After multiple arguments about how much time he spent glued to his phone, Jiang reportedly told her he wanted a divorce so he could fully devote himself to the AI girl. It took his adult children stepping in and explaining how artificial intelligence works to finally break the spell.
Cases like this aren’t rare in China, where “virtual digital people” have become a full-blown industry aimed at lonely seniors. From slick-talking male anchors to demure student types, these avatars are designed to elicit emotional attachment—and push product sales. They hawk everything from camel milk to calcium candy that allegedly improves bone health, but actually has zero proven medical benefit.
“Emotional manipulation and false propaganda targeting the elderly may lead to economic losses and emotional dependence,” warned experts quoted by Sinchew. And that’s the less dystopian part. The creepier bit? These AI personas aren’t real, but they’re still building real parasocial relationships—and some people can’t tell the difference.
Jiang eventually realized his mistake. But for a while, he wasn’t just in love. He was committed to a woman who didn’t really exist. And in that brief window of delusion, it seems that was real enough.
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