“Suspending Activities Due to Pregnancy,” Then a Comeback Announcement That Seemed to Mock Fans... Controversy Over Chinese Idol, Here's Why

Announced pregnancy in a handwritten letter
Controversy intensified with the group's comeback announcement that same day
"Created as a hobby by fans who love K-pop"

Controversy has erupted after a member of a Chinese girl group posted an announcement saying she would suspend her activities due to pregnancy, and it was revealed that the idol members are AI-generated virtual characters.

According to China's Daxiang News on October 14, a letter-style announcement written by Miti, a member of the AI girl group Baby Queen, was recently posted on social media.

Controversy erupted after it was announced that an AI-generated group member would leave the group due to pregnancy. China's Xiaohongshu.

Miti wrote, "I have confirmed that I am pregnant, and after discussion, I will temporarily leave the group to rest. This was not an easy decision, and I sincerely apologize to the members and staff who are preparing for our comeback with me." However, the group faced fierce controversy because it was created using AI rather than made up of real people. The hashtag "AI girl idol suspends activities due to pregnancy" rose to the top of trending searches on social media. Users expressed disbelief in comments such as, "Is the baby's father AI too?" "Is she going to give birth to a robot?" and "Just say you want to quit already."

Controversy intensified when a teaser video for a new song was posted on the group's social media account just one hour after the statement was announced, revealing news of a comeback. Suspicions were even raised that the announcement was a publicity stunt to promote the new song.

A group member created by artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked controversy after announcing her departure due to pregnancy. China's Xiaohongshu.

As the controversy spread, the production team posted a belated explanation. "We decided that Miti would leave because of the burden of managing multiple AI actors and idols," the team said. "The explanation of the circumstances surrounding her departure was somewhat inappropriate, but it was all fictional."

The team added, "Baby Queen is a group of characters created as a hobby by fans who love K-pop," explaining that "it was purely for personal enjoyment and was not intended to generate revenue."

The production team said that although it had initially released an apology written in Miti's voice, the controversy had only grown, and that the team had faced harassment, including insults about their appearance, malicious personal attacks, and even references to their families. "We had no malicious intent, so please refrain from posting abusive comments and attacking us," the team pleaded.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.