Artificial Songstress Announces Pregnancy, Departs Artificial Girl Group

CHINA, VIA WEIBO — Followers of the AI-generated girl group BabyQueen have been thrown into confusion, according to the Daily Star, after one of its five digitally created members announced that she was pregnant and leaving the act.

The singer, known as Mity, posted on the Chinese platform Weibo that she had found out she was expecting. She wrote that, after thorough discussions with the company and the other members, she had decided to temporarily leave the group to focus on her pregnancy and recovery. She described the choice as "not an easy decision" and apologised to fans who felt worried and disappointed. She did not name a father.

Reaction was mixed. One fan reportedly wrote that she had followed an AI group precisely to avoid the heartbreak of members leaving, and asked whether even AI could now take maternity leave and have scandals. Others took a lighter view. Several wondered whether ChatGPT was responsible, one asked if the server was the baby's father, and another suggested she might give birth to a robot.

The group is not known in Western markets but is, the report says, a considerable draw in China, where the announcement was viewed some 80 million times. All five members, their music and their social media output are said to be entirely AI-generated. The group is believed to be the work of a team of female students in China who were inspired by Korean pop music.

One of the creators later posted to Weibo, according to the report, calling Mity's actions "inappropriate". The creator added, however, that her departure was no bad thing, since it had become difficult to manage all five members. The remaining four are named as Hyeina, Kim Nawon, Youngxi and Jocee.