The previous snapshot of the "Fang Taozi" account that released a video promoting its colored contact lenses Photo: Sina Weibo

A 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.