Similar to the story of the protagonist falling in love with an AI in the movie Her, generative AI is rapidly transforming the interactive entertainment industry. Recently, ChatGPT’s “Dan mode” gained widespread attention on short video platforms, allowing users to train virtual lovers and develop deep emotional connections. AI is no longer just a tool but an active participant in storytelling, creating emotionally engaging experiences that offer users companionship and support.
The otome game market is also following this trend, integrating AI into its narrative-driven romantic experiences. A prime example is NetEase’s Encountering NARAKA, which employs AI to learn player behavior and dialogue choices, providing highly personalized emotional responses. This system doesn’t just mimic conversations but adapts to the player’s actions, shaping unique emotional outcomes, much like a one-on-one emotional advisor, deepening the sense of immersion.
Beyond gaming, AI’s impact is also being felt in the realm of virtual reality (VR), where it is blurring the line between virtual romance and real-world relationships. Virtual social platforms such as VRChat allow users to interact and socialize with virtual characters through VR devices, including virtual love or partner modes.
With the development of AI big model technology, virtual companions and emotional robots have gradually become new investment hotspots. NetEase Fuxi Lab’s AI generation technology has been applied to multiple entertainment products, such as games and live broadcasts. The virtual characters it develops can not only respond emotionally based on user interactions, but also aim to establish long-term interactive relationships with users.
Looking to the future, the combination of AI and the metaverse holds immense potential for transformative change. Virtual lovers are no longer confined to “the cloud” but could seamlessly integrate into everyday life, even coexisting with users through AR devices. PwC forecasts that by 2030, the global metaverse market could exceed $1.5 trillion, with virtual lovers playing a significant role in this evolution. As technology advances, virtual romance may shift from being merely entertainment to reshaping the way humans experience relationships and emotional support.
Reference
Westera, W., Prada, R., Mascarenhas, S., Santos, P. A., Dias, J., Guimarães, M., … & Ruseti, S. (2020). Artificial intelligence moving serious gaming: Presenting reusable game AI components. Education and Information Technologies, 25, 351-380.
Tian, Y. (2022). Falling in Love With Virtual Boyfriends: Otome Games in Japan and Mainland China. Google Scholar Google Scholar Reference.
Gutiérrez-Sánchez, P., Gómez-Martín, M. A., González-Calero, P. A., & Gómez-Martín, P. P. (2021, October). Reinforcement learning methods to evaluate the impact of AI changes in game design. In Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment (Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 10-17).
PwC Global Consumer Insights Survey 2023
