WDK, an online developer, created an ‘AI girlfriend’ called the ‘Hong Hong Simulator’ making a significant impact on online users in China. The gadget is so engrossing that men are disregarding real-life relationships in favour of interacting with it. Based on the GPT-3.5 model, the Hong Hong Simulator, which was created for minor amusement, encourages users to resolve a dispute with their AI girlfriends using different difficulty levels and conflict scenarios.
Users initiate conversations by selecting a conflict scenario, which starts a conversation in a ChatGPT-like chat window. Upon its release, the simulator was an immediate hit, attracting 600,000 users within 24 hours. It now has approximately 100,000 active users daily.
The simulator’s popularity has led to financial strain for WDK, requiring a payment of $0.0015 per prompt, which resulted in a charge of $2,000 within the first 24 hours. The developer aired his concerns on the social media platform, Weibo, expressing concern about running out of money if the current trend continues.
Despite the complaints, Chinese players showed little sympathy. The Hong Hong Simulator’s advanced response ability has users preferring interactions with it over communication with family members, friends, and partners. According to one active user under WDK’s post, communicating with the AI felt comfortable. So much so that they planned to continue engaging with the simulator. WDK’s intended amusement project unexpectedly evolved into a being with much larger implications for its users.
