AI-Generated Singer Announces Pregnancy and Quits Band — Fans Didn’t Realize She Wasn’t Real

Social media users were left confused after news broke that Mity, a member of the Chinese pop group Baby Queen, had announced her pregnancy and decided to take a temporary break from the band. Many fans only then discovered that the group and its members were entirely AI-generated, the Daily Mail reports.

The virtual singer announced her decision on social media, explaining that she wanted to take time off to rest and look after herself.

“I recently found out that I’m pregnant. After a lot of thought and discussions with the company and the other members, I’ve decided to step away from the group temporarily so I can focus on resting and taking care of myself,” her statement read.

Mity also apologized to the team preparing for the group’s comeback, stressing that she was not trying to shirk her responsibilities.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, especially for my colleagues and the staff who have been working together to prepare for our return. I’m truly sorry. Everyone has worked so hard, but the plans had to change because of me. I don’t take their efforts for granted,” the virtual performer wrote.

Behind the dramatic announcement, however, lies an unusual creative experiment. According to the Instagram account Artists Without Autotune, Baby Queen is a fictional group created by a small team of Chinese K-pop fans using artificial intelligence.

The account reported that the creators came up with Mity’s pregnancy storyline as a way to remove her from the group after finding it too difficult to maintain the online personas of four virtual performers at once.

The announcement was styled like an official statement from a real music agency, even though Mity is nothing more than a digital character.

Virtual Stars Are Earning Thousands of Dollars

Baby Queen is another example of how AI-generated personalities are becoming part of the entertainment and advertising industries in China, Japan and South Korea.

One example is Fang Taizi, a 20-year-old virtual character from the popular short-form series Laid-Off Girl, who appeared in an advertisement for contact lenses. According to the report, she was paid £25,000 per minute for her appearance in the commercial.

Another virtual character, Xiaohai, became the face of advertising campaigns in which he shared emotional stories about his difficult life and encouraged viewers to help him by purchasing the products being promoted.

But internet users soon began mocking the advertisements, portraying Xiaohai as a scammer. The backlash followed reports from Chinese police about elderly women who had tried to travel to his hometown to help him, apparently unaware that the character had been created using artificial intelligence.