2 hours ago
Young people in China are engaging with a fake account created by artificial intelligence (AI) that lectures their parents on healthy and scientific life values.
A social media account named “Lao Zhao jiang dao li,” or “Mr Zhao talks sense,” recently went viral, attracting more than 200,000 followers within just two months.
The man, surnamed Zhao and purportedly based in Chongqing municipality in southwestern China, claims in his profile to be a retired professor who has specialised in parent-child relationships for over 30 years.
He also claims to have published over 10 SCI papers, studied in Singapore, and received the “Touching China organising committee special award” as well as the “Champions of the Earth” award.
While Zhao’s credentials appear impressive, the truth is that he does not exist.
He is a persona generated by AI, created by a young woman who uses the nickname “shicaomeiweidemao.”
The woman created the account because she was frustrated by the “toxic chicken soup”—meaning overly sentimental or misleading advice—that her parents believed in.
