The previous snapshot of the "Fang Taozi" account that released a video promoting its colored contact lenses Photo: Sina WeiboA promotion video featuring Chinese virtual actress generated by artificial intelligence (AI) for colored contact lenses has been removed from her short video account after drawing backlash over the credibility of a virtual character claiming real-world comfort of a product.
The AI persona, Fang Taozi, rose to fame as the female lead in hit short drama The Laid-off Girl, which has garnered more than 200 million views.
In the now-removed ad, Fang said the lenses were "comfortable to wear all day" and the product used a technique to keep them stable, urging users to "blink with confidence," China Youth Daily reported on Sunday.
The claims drew fierce backlash from Chinese netizens, who argued the virtual AI figure cannot wear contact lenses, making its "personal claim of comfort" entirely "uncredible and misleading to consumers." The video is no longer searchable on her page, and her agency did not immediately comment, according to the report.
Lawyers said colored contact lenses are regulated as Class III medical devices in China. The country's Advertising Law prohibits using a spokesperson to recommend or certify medical devices, and such ads must undergo review before publication.
The Advertising Law actually stipulated that a brand ambassador must personally try the product first before endorsing it in an ad.
Wu Xiaolin, a Beijing-based lawyer, told the Global Times that under the law, an advertising endorser is defined as a natural person, legal entity or other organization making a recommendation in its own name or image.
"AI digital humans do not have independent legal personality and cannot be advertising endorsers," Wu said, adding that advertisers still bear responsibility for the truthfulness of content and may face penalties for false advertising.
While AI digital avatars are not bound by the legal clauses governing human endorsers, Wu stressed that the ad's firsthand usage experience claims constitute alleged false promotion. Relevant legal liabilities for false advertising will fall on the brand advertiser and the campaign operator rather than the AI avatar itself.
Shanghai-based outlet The Paper reported that Fang's first commercial deal on July 31 listed rates as high as 258,000 yuan ($38,236) for videos exceeding 60 seconds, outstripping many human influencers with millions of followers. An MCN agency source later cast doubt on those figures, saying the actual rate was about 88,000 yuan.
A Global Times reporter noticed that the rise of AI short drama commercial endorsements has become a prevalent industry trend in China, with virtual leads of multiple popular short dramas regularly posting sponsored content for beauty, skincare, beverage and other consumer brands.
Feng Anrong, a director who runs an AI production studio, told the Global Times that commercial endorsements have become a major revenue source for many short drama production teams.
As AI-generated marketing expands, the controversy has exposed a grey area with legal provisions in place and regulatory oversight inadequate. A consumer hotline told local media that the matter has been referred to market regulators in the local district for handling, per China Youth Daily.
。 8月25日消息，据媒体报道，距离起飞还有2个多月，航空公司完全可以二次售票，无任何损失，可近5000元的机票仅仅只退140元。 近日，杭州一位女士向媒体反映，自己女儿近期在中国国航APP上，购买了从伦敦经北京飞往杭州的往返机票，由于往程乘坐体验不佳，决定退掉返程机票。提前2个多月发起退票申请，近5000元的返程机票，却被告知只能退还140元，且无法给出合理扣费依据，这让她难以接受。 该订单页面显示，这趟往返机票总共花费9856元，其中票价5747元，税费4109元。 因为分配的靠窗座位下方有凸起设备，女儿右腿长时间无法伸展，加上在北京中转时航班延误，所以到家时身心俱疲，卧床休养了三天才恢复。经过这么一遭，自己女儿对国航航班产生抵触心理，打算退掉返程机票。 起飞时间为9月23日，他们在7月20日提交了退票申请，此时距离航班起飞时间还有2个多月，没想到却被告知，只能退还140元。 该女士还表示，他们购买的是正常往返客票，并非特价票，提前这么久退票并不会影响国航二次销售，航空公司如此“一刀切”的做法，违背了民航局要求航司执行阶梯退改费率的要求，涉嫌不公平格式条款。事发后，她也向中国民用航空局消费者事务中心进行投诉，但是并没有争取到自己想要的结果。据了解，国航官网曾发布过国内客票自愿退票和自愿变更实施细则，从航班起飞前7天至4个小时，收取0%至75%不等的手续费，但对国际航班未做明确要求。而打开中国国航APP购票页面，搜索9月23日从杭州飞伦敦的航班，包括她购买的航班在内，有多趟航班的页面上，都标明了“不允许退票（附加费不退）”。

B | 根据其提供的中国民用航空局消费者事务中心提供的调解意见书显示，航空公司拒绝原因为“票规为不允许退票，未使用段退票不支持非自愿。我司维持原处置方案，不再调解。” 由于被投诉人（经营者）不同意参加调解，消费者事务中心调解不成，“根据《公共航空运输旅客服务投诉管理办法》相关规定，消费者事务中心对该投诉终止调解。