China Tech

ChatGPT in China: Online Discussions, Concerns, and China’s ChatGPT-Style Bots

Why was a ChatGPT-like platform not first launched in China? As ChatGPT is all the talk, so is the discussion about China catching up.

Published

4 years ago

February 13, 2023

Manya Koetse

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As OpenAI’s AI chatbot ChatGPT has become one of the fastest-growing platforms ever, it is making headlines every day these days. It is also a hot topic on Chinese social media, where many wonder why ChatGPT was not developed in China and what the future holds for similar platforms in the mainland.

As ChatGPT has been making headlines internationally, the AI software has also become a popular topic on Chinese social media.

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Manya Koetse

Manya Koetse is a sinologist, writer, and public speaker specializing in China’s social trends, digital culture, and online media ecosystems. She founded What’s on Weibo in 2013 and now runs the Eye on Digital China newsletter. Learn more at manyakoetse.com or follow her on X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

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Chapter Dive

Cancel-Proof: The Rise of China’s AI Actors

China’s AI actors are on the rise, and not everyone is buying it. The country’s microdrama industry offers a glimpse of what’s to come for the broader film and TV sector.

Published

5 months ago

April 10, 2026

Ruixin Zhang

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? In the fast-growing world of China’s AI microdramas, even virtual actors can’t escape reality. As production companies turn them into idols, audiences are voicing discomfort, while the future for human actors looks increasingly uncertain.

– By Ruixin Zhang and Manya Koetse

For Chinese audiences, AI in film and television is nothing new. In the fall of 2023, the first fully AI digital performer in a…

Chapter Dive

How the “Nexperia Incident” Became a Mirror of China–Europe Tensions

From the Dutch invoking a Cold War–era law to Chinese narratives about Europe, this is what gives the Sino-Dutch “Nexperia incident” its extra weight.

Published

11 months ago

October 14, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 This is premium content and also appeared in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

On the evening of October 12, while the Netherlands vs. Finland World Cup qualifier became a hot topic on Weibo (#荷兰4比0芬兰#), something else entirely made headlines — not about goals, but about chips.

Chinese company Wingtech Technology (闻泰科技) issued a statement saying that the Dutch government, citing national security concerns, had imposed…