AI Virtual Influencer "Fang Taozi" Contact Lens Ad Removed in China

What happened

Fang Taozi, an AI-generated virtual character from the short drama 'The Girl Who Was Laid Off', published a promotional video for contact lenses on Douyin (TikTok), claiming the lenses were 'very comfortable to wear for a whole day' and highlighting features such as light reflection and stable positioning when blinking.

The advertisement video was removed from Fang Taozi's Douyin account by August 6, 2026, following public backlash.

Reported impact

Online users questioned how an AI virtual character without real eyes could experience wearing contact lenses and whether the testimonial was truthful.

Legal experts noted that the AI character's first-person claim of 'tried and tested' constituted fabricated user experience, violating advertising law provisions against false advertising.

Index analysis

Contact lenses are classified as Class III medical devices in China and are prohibited from using advertising endorsers to make recommendations or provide testimonials under advertising law.

Legal experts stated that while AI virtual characters do not qualify as civil subjects subject to advertising laws requiring endorsers to have used products, the character's fictional first-person experience claim violated provisions against false advertising and misrepresented medical device claims.

Governance controls

Experts recommended that regulations governing AI virtual character endorsements be quickly established to prevent AI characters from circumventing legal constraints on true-person product endorsement.

Classification

Organization

Fang Taozi (subject)

Category

Misinformation and synthetic media

Industry

Media, social platforms and marketing

Country

China

Harm status

Potential harm

Intent

Unintentional

Timing

Post-deployment

Harm types

Public interest

Harmed

Consumers

Failure modes

Hallucination

Consequences

Content removal

AI systems

Fang Taozi

Regulations

GDPR (cited)

Sources and evidence