AI is worsening China's population decline. But is it all bad news?
marriage and
childbearing have never been essential life choices. Instead of following the traditional path of starting a family like most of her elders, the human resources manager at a Beijing-based company prefers the solitary life.
She is not alone. A survey of around 3,000 urban residents in October 2021 found that
nearly 44 per cent of unmarried women aged 18 to 26 either had no intention of getting married or were unsure if it would happen.
'The cost of giving birth is apparently too high for women, which is leading to a
low birth rate in contemporary society,' Li said, referring to child care and educational spending, as well as the time and energy required to raise a family.
Thanks to technological advancements, her determination and confidence to embrace the challenges of staying single have grown stronger. As
artificial intelligence (AI) continues to progress, Li believes it will eventually fulfil needs like emotional companionship and elderly care – traditionally provided in
Chinese society through marriage and children.
'AI can already provide emotional companionship. In another 20 to 30 years, by the time my generation is old, I believe that household robots for taking
care of the elderly will be widely available and affordable,' she said. 'I am now hoping that the development of caregiving
robots will accelerate.'
AI is widely blamed for worsening China's population decline by reducing incentives for marriage and childbearing, as it replaces human roles such as providing emotional companionship and taking care of the elderly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
30 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
China GDP figures beat market forecasts despite looming US tariff risks
For more on this story: China's economy expanded by 5.2 per cent in the second quarter, keeping it broadly on track to meet this year's growth target. But analysts cautioned that weak domestic demand and rising external uncertainties could provoke a slowdown in the second half of 2025. The closely watched gross domestic product (GDP) figures, released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on July 15, 2025, came in above the 5.17 per cent forecast by a poll of economists from the Chinese financial data provider Wind. The robust headline figures suggest that China's economy has remained resilient in the face of an ongoing trade war with the United States, even as Chinese goods still face an effective US tariff rate of more than 40 per cent, according to Morgan Stanley estimates
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Man, 80, talked into 67-month phone plan costing 6 times as much: Hong Kong watchdog
An elderly man was locked into a 67-month mobile phone plan costing six times his usual bill for unneeded services, according to Hong Kong's consumer watchdog, as it warned that elderly residents were among the vulnerable targets of those using predatory telecommunications sales tactics. The case was one of thousands of related complaints received by the Consumer Council over the past two years, with issues ranging from elderly customers being oversold services to unfair auto-renewal clauses and long refund delays. The victim of the phone plan case, the 80-year-old father of a complainant, had previously been paying less than HK$100 (US$12.74) per month for his mobile service. However, after a visit to a physical branch of 'Company A' in August 2024, he was persuaded to sign up for a 67-month contract with a monthly bill of about HK$600, including a basic fee of HK$478, an HK$18 'tunnel fee', and several redundant add-on services, according to the watchdog. The extras comprised a secondary SIM card, two data roaming pass packages, two voice and data roaming packages, and four cloud storage services that would cost an additional HK$60 per month after a three-month free trial, unless cancelled. Suspecting his father had been deliberately upsold by staff – especially since the elderly man neither needed a secondary SIM card nor roaming services as he did not travel – the son sought an unconditional contract termination or to switch to a more suitable plan.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
‘China's Ozempic' pioneer inks deal with JD Health for online distribution
Innovent Biologics, the first Chinese company to win regulatory approval to sell a GLP-1 drug for weight loss and diabetes, will leverage JD Health's online distribution network as it seeks to grab a slice of a market that could be worth 40 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion) in a decade. The companies will collaborate on supply chain and sales channel development ahead of Innovent's launch of mazdutide, as well as engage in a consumer education campaign. 'Innovent and JD Health will join hands to popularise knowledge about weight loss and blood sugar control via on and offline channels,' Innovent said in a statement posted on its WeChat account on Tuesday. Late last month, eastern Jiangsu province-based Innovent said it received Chinese regulatory approval for mazdutide, which it claimed was the world's first to mimic the natural hormones of GLP-1 and glucagon, with the latter playing a crucial role in regulating blood glucose levels. GLP-1 drugs mimic the actions of the naturally produced hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, which regulates blood sugar levels, suppresses appetite and slows digestion. A woman injects insulin with an insulin pen to treat her diabetes at home. Photo: Shutterstock Images 'Innovent will make its breakthrough dual-target, liver fat-reducing weight loss therapy available to obese patients as soon as possible, to contribute towards the weight management and healthy China initiatives,' said chairman Michael Yu Dechao, without giving a time frame.
