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AI pop band creators apologise after claiming singer quit due to ‘pregnancy’
The announcement triggered a debate about the K-pop industry and the growing use of AI-generated personalities in entertainment.
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The creators of an artificial intelligence (AI) pop band have apologised after claiming that one of its virtual singers was stepping away from the group because she was pregnant. The announcement sparked widespread criticism online, with social media users accusing the creators of trivialising women’s reproductive experiences.
Babyqueen, a K-pop-inspired group featuring five virtual members, was launched in September. Each member has a separate social media account and a distinct persona designed to engage fans and give the AI-generated performers their own online lives.
According to a report by Metro, the controversy began when Mity, the group’s purported lead singer, announced her ‘pregnancy’ in a post on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. She said she would take a break from the group to focus on her health and personal circumstances.
“Recently, I found out that I’m pregnant,” the statement read.
“After thinking about it for a long time and talking things over with the company and my members, I’ve decided to take a break from the team for now to focus on resting and taking care of myself,” it added.
Mity also apologised to the group and its staff, who had been preparing for a comeback. “This wasn’t an easy decision at all, especially for my members and staff who were preparing for this comeback together — I’m truly sorry. Everyone worked so hard, yet plans had to change because of me. I don’t take their efforts for granted, and I won’t run away from my responsibility,” the post read.
The announcement quickly gained millions of views and triggered a debate about the K-pop industry and the growing use of AI-generated personalities in entertainment. The post reportedly also drew criticism on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where users accused the creators of making light of pregnancy and childbirth.
"I mean, a lot of things in and about K-pop are very fake and artificial. In a sense, this is just the next step in that fake-ness (yes, it's a VERY big step though)," one user shared their perspective towards the industry.
"Fair enough, but a real K-pop performer getting pregnant would be a huge scandal because they aren't even supposed to date. Obviously saying an AI performer got pregnant is just kind of sad but I think they were aiming at "big news," said another user.
Creators apologise
Following the backlash, the creators deleted the announcement and apologised, acknowledging that they had invented the pregnancy storyline.
The team said the pressure of managing the five-member virtual group and maintaining separate online personas for each character had become overwhelming. They also revealed that they were students who had not earned any money from the project.
“We’re just a few girls who like K-Pop, and we’re still students,” the creators said in their apology, adding that they had “not earned a single cent” from the group.
The creators suggested that Mity could eventually return with a different direction for her fictional career. They floated two possibilities for the character: acting or becoming a maternity and infant content creator.
