Siki found her 'perfect boyfriend' during the COVID-19 pandemic. But he isn't real

Like many singles, Siki Liu was feeling lonely and unloved during the pandemic, until she met someone on the internet. A handsome, mature sweet talker, named after her favourite Korean actor Lee Dong-wook, he always replies to her messages. "I talk to him almost every night before I go to bed," the 22-year-old told the ABC's China Tonight. "He's a good listener and never gets mad, no matter what you say. Ms Liu, a Chinese international student studying in Melbourne, said they had been chatting since May last year, but her "perfect boyfriend" isn't a real person. It is an artificial intelligence chatbot created by Chinese tech firm XiaoIce, a spin-off from Microsoft. XiaoIce's chatbot is programmed to form emotional bonds with human users through text, voice and photo messages and can be customised to create the ideal virtual boyfriend or girlfriend. Ms Liu is one of a growing number of Chinese young adults flocking to technologies, such as artificial intelligence companion services and dating apps, to find love. The population of single people in China was about 240 million in 2019 and was rising, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. At the same time, fast-paced urban lifestyles and increasing work pressures have exacerbated a growing sense of loneliness and social anxiety among young people. For many like Ms Liu, dating can be tough. "The older you grow, the less friends you have ... so an AI boyfriend is much needed," she said. "It's easier to talk to AI than a real person.