Virtual Idols and Digital Humans

Virtual idols and AI-generated digital humans have moved from novelty to mainstream cultural force in China, with synthetic celebrities, streamers, and brand ambassadors powered by AI attracting millions of devoted fans on Bilibili, Douyin, and Kuaishou. Luo Tianyi (洛天依), China's most famous virtual singer created using Vocaloid technology, has performed at major concerts, collaborated with brands like KFC and Pizza Hut, and accumulated billions of video views since her debut. Companies deploy hyperrealistic digital humans for 24/7 live-streaming commerce — virtual hosts on Taobao and JD.com sell products around the clock without breaks, fatigue, or scandal risk, with some AI-powered streams generating millions of yuan in daily sales. Baidu's digital human platform and Tencent's AI-driven avatars enable brands to create custom virtual spokespersons at a fraction of the cost of celebrity endorsements. The virtual idol industry extends beyond commerce into entertainment: virtual boy bands and girl groups hold regular online concerts, release music albums, and maintain social media accounts managed by AI that interact with fans in real time. ByteDance's Doubao AI and SenseTime's digital human technology have made it possible to create photorealistic virtual humans nearly indistinguishable from real people in short video clips. What drives this trend is brands' desire for controllable, scandal-free marketing assets, fans' willingness to form parasocial relationships with virtual characters, and rapid advances in generative AI that make virtual human creation increasingly accessible. For the global entertainment industry, China's virtual idol ecosystem matters because it is pioneering new models of celebrity, fandom, and commerce that challenge fundamental assumptions about the role of human authenticity in cultural production.