Audio By Carbonatix
Zheng Jiajia, a 31-year-old artificial intelligence expert from Hangzhou, China, recently made headlines after marrying 1-year-old Yingying, a “female” robot that he built himself.
Zheng graduated from Zhejiang University in 2011 with a master’s degree in artificial intelligence, and spent 3 years working for Chinese tech giant Huawei, before joining Hangzhou’s Dream Town, a base for internet and tech startups, to work on artificial intelligence. Last year, he started working on a smart humanoid robot that would end up becoming his wife.
Named Yingying, the female robot can allegedly say a few simple words, and is capable of recognizing Chinese characters and images. She weighs about 30 kilograms and is modeled according to the young engineer preferences in women.
The two have apparently only “been dating” for two months, but Zheng decided he was ready to take their relationship to the next level, so he married Yingying in a small ceremony on Friday.
The wedding was attended by his mother and a few of his friends, one of whom told reporters from the Qianjiang Evening News that the young engineer had had his heart broken in the past, and had given the search for a human life partner. Asked to confirm these claims, Zheng said that his friend was only joking.

Nevertheless, Jiajia said that he plans to focus on upgrading his robot wife by giving her the ability to walk, talk and even do housework. He hopes that he and Yingying will grow old together. Well, he will. Her, not so much.

It sounds a little crazy, but experts have been talking about human-robot unions for a while now. In 2016, best-selling author and robot expert Dr David Levy predicted that the first marriage between man and machine would occur before 2050.

Late last year, we reported on the romantic relationship between a French woman and a robot she 3D-printed herself. She said that she was in love and planned to marry it as soon as such a union became legal.
Latest Stories
-
Government must order payment of promoted teachers’ salaries – GNAT
5 minutes -
Meet Sethina Edem Sunu, the healthcare professional eyeing the NDC UK & Ireland deputy organiser role
9 minutes -
The myth of ‘sophisticated customer experience’ in the digital age
13 minutes -
What happened to lands reserved for sanitary sites? -WasteCare CEO calls for audit
13 minutes -
Manasseh Writes: The shift in the NPP
29 minutes -
The price of a seat: Financial barriers and the structural quality of Ghana’s Parliament
34 minutes -
Government targets October 16 for first tranche of teacher arrears – Haruna Iddrisu
38 minutes -
Daily Insight for CEOs: The CEO’s role in driving innovation
42 minutes -
Audit existing sanitary sites to address waste management land shortages – WasteCare CEO urges assemblies
44 minutes -
Two-bin household waste system could support waste-to-energy in Ghana – Waste Care Associates CEO
50 minutes -
Dealing with political and social media insults
53 minutes -
Essi Donkor urges stronger support for girls’ education, announces GH¢2,000 BECE reward
53 minutes -
Ghana still needs landfills but Accra should prioritise waste-to-energy – Waste Care Associates CEO
1 hour -
Godwin Mahama declares bid for NDC Greater Accra Regional Secretary
1 hour -
Bawumia unveils NPP plan to scout parliamentary candidates capable of winning parliamentary seats
1 hour