DigiNepal
AI boy avatars go viral in China, using sob stories to trick elderly out of money
AI boy avatars go viral in China, using sob stories to trick elderly out of money
AI-generated “sob-story boys” have recently taken Chinese short-video platforms by storm, allegedly using emotional manipulation to cheat elderly viewers out of their savings. Known collectively as “Xiaohai”, these digital avatars typically appear as teenage boys in school uniforms or plain white shirts, tearfully describing their poverty-stricken lives on camera. In one video, a Xiaohai avatar…