---
title: "AI \"Xiaohai\": How Neural Network-Generated Characters Extort Savings from Elderly Chinese"
description: "On Chinese video platforms, AI \"Xiaohai\" characters tell fabricated poverty stories, prompting elderly viewers to buy overpriced goods. Total views have exceeded 600 million, and organizers earn up to 3,000 yuan per day."
date: 2026-10-28T12:15:31.699Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ai-xiaohai-manipulates-elderly-chinese
tags: [ai-manipulation, china, elderly-fraud, short-video, deepfake, consumer-protection]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# AI "Xiaohai": How Neural Network-Generated Characters Extort Savings from Elderly Chinese

![Comparison of a crying AI Xiaohai character and his smiling digital version used to scam elderly people](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/28/ii-siaohai-manipulyatsiya-pozhilymi-kitajtsy/ii-siaohai-manipulyatsiya-pozhilymi-kitajtsy-1.webp)

## Key Points

- AI "Xiaohai" characters on Chinese video platforms use fabricated poverty stories to manipulate elderly viewers and stimulate purchases
- Prices of goods promoted by the characters are inflated; organizers earn up to 3,000 yuan daily with commissions up to 55%
- Total views of thematic videos exceeded 600 million; most videos have already been removed
- In Urumqi, police stopped a 79-year-old woman traveling to "meet" a virtual character
- Lawyers qualify the practice as potential fraud; experts link the phenomenon to the loneliness of the elderly

Fictional characters generated by artificial intelligence are spreading massively on Chinese short-video platforms, prompting elderly viewers to make purchases under the guise of poverty and hardship. According to the SCMP, these virtual personas, collectively known online as "Xiaohai," appear as teenagers in school uniforms or plain white shirts, crying on camera and recounting their destitution. Addressing the audience as "aunts and mothers," the characters share fabricated stories: in one video, a heroine holds a steamed bun and laments having to hide in the classroom to eat while her classmates are away at lunch; in another, a boy in the rain begs viewers to buy buckwheat porridge to meet his sales quota and avoid peer mockery.

### Manipulation Mechanics and Inflated Prices

The emotional presentation is followed by a commercial pitch: "Xiaohai" characters promote dietary supplements, household goods, and food products, claiming they need the money to support single fathers. Meanwhile, the prices of the offered goods are reportedly significantly inflated. For example, a bottle of cooking oil sold through Xiaohai accounts for 99 yuan (approximately 390,000 dong) allegedly costs about 60 yuan (approximately 237,000 dong) on the wholesale market. Commission fees on platforms reach up to 55%, allowing account owners to generate substantial profits. An industry insider speaking to Beijing News reported that content creators using accessible AI tools to generate Xiaohai-style videos are capable of earning between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan (about 7.9–11.8 million dong) per day.

### Scale of the Phenomenon and Audience

The "Xiaohai" trend has spread rapidly across Chinese short-video platforms, with total views of thematic videos exceeding 600 million. The primary subscriber base consists of middle-aged and older individuals who express sympathy for the fabricated stories in the comments and make purchases out of a desire to "help" the characters. As of October 2026, the majority of videos related to Xiaohai have been removed from platforms, though exact statistics on the total funds earned by content creators have not been publicly disclosed.

### Real-World Consequences: The Urumqi Incident

One of the most telling episodes was an incident in Urumqi recorded in May 2026. Police stopped a 79-year-old illiterate woman who was traveling alone on a train and insisting she was heading to Shanxi province in northern China to meet "Xiaohai" in person. The elderly woman explained that during a livestream, the character had invited her to eat mushrooms and admire flowers. Law enforcement contacted her family, brought the woman home, and explained that the boy on the screen was a fictional creation generated by a neural network. This case vividly demonstrates the deep trust elderly viewers place in virtual characters.

### Legal Assessment and Expert Opinions

Lawyers warn that intentionally fabricating stories to boost online sales can be classified as fraud. At the same time, Professor Ma Liang from Peking University offers a different perspective: in his view, the "Xiaohai" phenomenon reflects a social reality in which some elderly people, experiencing chronic loneliness, turn to online shopping and virtual characters to fill an emotional void. Thus, behind the commercial scheme lies a deeper problem of social isolation among the older generation amid rapid societal digitization.

### Counter-Activism and Content Removal

In response to the spread of manipulative videos, some tech-savvy users have begun using AI to create content featuring so-called "evil Xiaohais." In these videos, the character appears in prison garb and apologizes to fans, or alternatively sports expensive designer clothes, smokes, and boasts about exploiting "women and mothers." Such videos are intended to help parents and grandparents realize that behind the idealized image of a poor teenager lies a commercial scheme. Simultaneously, short-video platforms have begun mass removal of original Xiaohai clips, though the issue of systematic countermeasures and criminal liability for the organizers remains open.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Искусственный интеллект имитирует бедность и лишения, чтобы манипулировать пожилыми людьми в Китае и заставлять их покупать товары.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/ai-gia-ngheo-ke-kho-thao-tung-nguoi-lon-tuoi-o-trung-quoc-bo-tien-mua-hang) - The primary source contains all key facts: description of Xiaohai characters, oil prices (99/60 yuan), 55% commissions, earnings of 2000-3000 yuan/day, 600M views, Urumqi case (May, 79 years old), Prof. Ma Liang's opinion, video removals, "evil Xiaohais." References to SCMP and Beijing News inside the text.

## FAQ

### What is "Xiaohai" and how are they created?

"Xiaohai" are fictional characters generated using accessible AI tools. They appear as teenagers in school uniforms or white shirts, crying on camera and telling fabricated stories about poverty. Creators use ready-made neural network prompts to mass-produce such videos.

### How much do Xiaohai account organizers earn?

According to an insider cited by Beijing News, content creators earn between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan (about 7.9–11.8 million dong) per day. Platform commissions reach up to 55%, and goods are overpriced—for example, cooking oil sells for 99 yuan compared to a wholesale market value of about 60 yuan.

### What real-world consequences have already been recorded?

In May 2026 in Urumqi, police stopped a 79-year-old illiterate woman traveling alone by train to Shanxi province to "meet" a Xiaohai character who had invited her for mushrooms and flowers during a livestream. The woman was brought home and informed that the character was fictional.

### What do lawyers and experts say?

Lawyers warn that intentionally fabricating stories for online sales could be classified as fraud. Professor Ma Liang from Peking University notes that the phenomenon reflects the social loneliness of some elderly people seeking emotional connection through virtual characters.

### Have the Xiaohai videos been removed from platforms?

As of October 2026, most videos related to Xiaohai have been removed from Chinese short-video platforms. However, exact statistics on total earnings have not been publicly disclosed. Some users have started creating counter-AI videos featuring "evil Xiaohais" to warn elderly relatives.