"I Hide in the Classroom Alone to Eat Steamed Buns. Please Help Me"... Tearful Plea Draws 600 Million Views, But It Turns Out...

Earns 600 million views with a tragic backstory
Turns out to be an AI-generated virtual character
Sells health products by exploiting sympathy among middle-aged and older viewers

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology advances, concerns are growing over online sales tactics that exploit AI. In China, short-form videos portraying the plight of a poor young boy recently surpassed 600 million views and attracted widespread attention. But the boy turned out to be an AI-generated virtual character used to make money by playing on viewers' sympathy, shocking many.

A heartbreaking story made headlines, and Xiao Hai’s video garnered 600 million views. But it is a fake video created using artificial intelligence (AI). Weibo screenshot, Getty Images Bank.

"Auntie, I hide to eat steamed buns"... The truth behind the video that moved 600 million people

According to China Central Television (CCTV) and other local media on October 21, videos featuring a boy named Xiao Hai have recently spread rapidly across major short-form video platforms in China. In the videos, the boy shared heartbreaking stories, such as struggling to make ends meet with only his mother to support him or going without meals because his family was poor.

The boy addressed middle-aged and older female viewers affectionately as "auntie" and "mom," making a personal connection with them. In one scene, he teared up and said, "All my friends went to eat, but I'm hiding in the classroom to eat steamed buns," tugging at viewers' heartstrings. Comments expressing sympathy for the boy and offering financial support poured in, and the videos drew explosive interest, racking up a total of 600 million views.

Using viewers' sympathy to sell expensive health products

However, the boy in the videos was confirmed to be a virtual character created using generative AI, not a real person. The video creators fabricated stories about the boy's hardship to maximize viewers' sympathy, then used that sympathy to make money. They reaped huge profits by selling expensive health products and everyday necessities to viewers who had been moved by the boy's story.

In May, a 79-year-old grandmother who could not read caused a stir when she secretly boarded a long-distance train, without telling her family, to meet and help Xiao Hai, who called her "auntie" every day through her mobile phone. After police found her, she only turned back after being told several times that the boy in the videos was an AI-generated virtual character who did not actually exist.

Platforms begin imposing sanctions, but challenges remain... Urgent need to regulate AI ethics and fake news

As the seriousness of the situation grew, Chinese social media platforms began taking action against the accounts involved. They banned accounts that violated community guidelines from uploading posts, while some operators changed their account names, deleted related videos, and stopped selling products.

Experts say it is urgent to put in place a range of institutional safeguards to prevent the misuse of technology, including requiring AI-generated content to be labeled with identifying marks such as watermarks and providing digital literacy education for older adults.

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