Fang Taozi, a 20-year-old AI-generated character, has become one of mainland China's most striking virtual celebrities, amassing nearly 400,000 followers in about two months and starring in a miniseries that has reportedly racked up 250 million views, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP). Unlike polished digital fantasies, Fang is designed to look conspicuously ordinary, with pores, blemishes, wrinkles, fading make-up, sweat, and mistakes, which has fueled her appeal. She stars in *The Laid-off Girl*, a short-form drama about a small-town woman pursuing a modelling career in the fictional metropolis of Shangnan. Since launching her account in mid-June, Fang has posted 43 videos, attracting 28 million likes. Her fictional world includes assistant Mimi with around 20,000 followers and drama boyfriend Zhou Yiheng with about 130,000. Earlier this month, Fang appeared in a video promoting coloured contact lenses, and her advertising fees now exceed those charged by some human influencers with 10 million followers, though some viewers reject AI endorsements. Her rise comes as AI technology was used in about seven per cent of productions last year, a figure that has reportedly jumped to 38 per cent this year, causing unease among actors worried about AI encroaching on their jobs.