On the winding stone steps of Mount Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province, "companion climbing" partners help tourists take photos and chat all the way; In tertiary hospitals, accompanying staff hold the hands of elderly patients and shuttle through various departments; In the home, companion robots accompany children for immersive graded English training... With the continuous development of China's economy and society, a new form of service economy centered on meeting emotional needs and providing companionship, the "companion economy," is flourishing and attracting international attention.
Foreign media has noticed that this emerging field, from paid companionship between people to emotional interaction between humans and machines, is showing strong vitality. Foreign media believe that the "companion economy" is a vivid epitome of the transformation and upgrading of China's consumer market. The market potential of the "companion economy" continues to be released, and China has taken the lead in exploring market cultivation, regulatory guidance, and other aspects in related fields, providing useful reference for the world.
The 'Accompanying Economy' business model blooms in multiple places
The "companion economy" has diverse business formats, covering traditional offline consumption methods such as accompanying sightseeing and shopping, as well as various forms such as companion robots and AI pets derived from technological development
"On the steps of Mount Taishan Mountain, a famous mountain in China, tourists can make an appointment to pay for a ride to accompany them, carry their bags and take photos." British Reuters reported that Mr. Chen of Shandong founded a hiking company in 2022, which has grown from less than 10 people at the beginning to about 370 people. The company will charge 800 yuan for daily climbing of Mount Taishan Mountain. This demonstrates the vibrant vitality of this emerging industry.
Agence France Presse has noticed that accompanying medical services are an important business model with real demand in the "accompanying economy". According to reports, most people in China go to public hospitals for treatment, so top hospitals are usually large in scale and have a large number of personnel, often leaving patients at a loss. As a result, the industry of accompanying consultations emerged and has shown great potential for vigorous development. Professional accompanying physicians lead elderly patients through maze like hospitals, helping them complete various medical procedures.
The Straits Times of Singapore has noticed the emergence of a new type of pet puppy care park in China, equipped with amusement rides, pet treadmills, and music equipment, opening up a rapidly growing niche in the booming pet industry. According to the report analysis, young pet owners increasingly consider their pets as family and are willing to invest more in them. This has driven the development of high value-added service industries such as pet daycare, grooming, and dog training.
Companionship economy "refers to the economic activity in which consumers pay for goods or services with companionship attributes to relieve loneliness, seek emotional support, or enrich social experiences, with the aim of obtaining psychological comfort, social connection, and emotional satisfaction. This increasingly popular service covers various offline consumption methods such as accompanying tourists to visit attractions, shopping, and eating hotpot, as well as diverse forms derived from technological development.
Companion robots are one of the hot topics on overseas social platforms and markets. Global high-tech industry research institution Jibang Consulting recently released a report stating that in recent years, Chinese companion robots have placed more emphasis on biomimetic appearance, emotional expression, and natural coping, aiming to enhance human interaction. Most manufacturers have developed localized humanoid products based on companion functions.
According to the Independent Online News Network in South Africa, artificial intelligence (AI) pets in China are becoming a new choice for young consumers' emotional consumption. The report points out that consumers no longer only pursue material satisfaction, but also crave emotional and psychological support. AI pets provide instant emotional companionship with extremely low care costs, and are not only popular in China, but also have a wide user base worldwide. China is leading the world in applying AI tools for daily use. ”The AI pet craze in China has added a new dimension to the constantly evolving relationship between humans and AI.
Continuous release of market potential
The "companion economy" has attracted widespread attention from the investment community, created considerable economic value, and has become an important force in absorbing employment and serving society
According to TRACXN, an Indian venture capital analysis platform, hundreds of companies in China's "companion economy" related fields have received financing, and several companies have grown into unicorns.
Reuters reported that the market size of China's accompanying economy has reached tens of billions of yuan. The Global Banking and Financial Review in the UK reprinted a Reuters report and pointed out that this trend reflects a broader shift in China's urban lifestyle and service economy, with the demand for "emotional consumption" continuing to grow as young people work in different locations and times.
Accompanying services are one of the important markets in the "accompanying economy". Agence France Presse reported that China is vigorously promoting the "silver economy", with products and services targeting the elderly reaching a scale of 7 trillion yuan.
The next wave of consumer stories in China may no longer revolve more around goods, but around services that make life warmer, easier, or less lonely. "An article in Barron's Weekly pointed out that China's" companion economy "reflects the consumption trend of social changes. The companies most likely to have an advantage in the next stage of consumer growth in China are not necessarily those selling handbags, cars, or home appliances, but rather those platforms that can organize local services, short distance travel, and explore lifestyles. Social and e-commerce platforms, local travel platforms, health and wellness service providers, elderly care service agencies, and gig companies are all standing on the forefront of this wave of consumer transformation.
In addition to expanding industrial directions, the "companion economy" also creates employment opportunities for workers of different ages and backgrounds in flexible and diverse forms. Agence France Presse reported that 36 year old independent accompanying physician Xiao Shu (pseudonym) earns approximately 10000 yuan per month; Reuters reported that flexible employment choices for the workforce have driven the development of the 'companion economy'.
China not only cultivates the market, but also establishes regulations for the industry
Faced with the development momentum of the "companion economy" business model, China has actively taken the lead in guiding industries and has also introduced regulations at the regulatory level to provide reference for the world
Forbes website in the United States has noticed a series of measures proposed by China's Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments to promote "artificial intelligence+consumption", believing that artificial intelligence will enter more deeply into fields such as consumer electronics, household appliances, wearable devices, retail, tourism, catering, health services, elderly care, and humanoid robots. The article states that in the layout of "artificial intelligence+consumption", consumer robots are an important direction. Among them, elderly care and companionship services are placed in a prominent position. China hopes to promote humanoid robots to leave exhibition halls and enter homes, offices, hospitals, and elderly care institutions, allowing them to undertake daily assistance, companionship, and basic services in more real-life scenarios.
Forbes' article points out that many parts of China have increased investment in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics. The report evaluation states that China has not passively waited for consumer grade artificial intelligence to automatically form a market, but has actively taken on the role of a "market cultivator" - cultivating ordinary consumers' habits of using artificial intelligence products through policy guidance, pilot support, and product design direction.
On July 15th, the "Interim Measures for the Management of Artificial Intelligence Personification Interactive Services" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Market Regulation were officially implemented.
The well-known American technology media "Tech Times" interpreted the relevant details of the measures and believed that the measures set a clear boundary between agents who "accompany users" and agents who "perform user tasks". The report believes that this is the world's first national regulation specifically targeting AI emotional companionship, which has benchmark significance for the global AI companionship industry.
Faced with the rapid development of the "companion economy", especially the widespread application of AI companion technology, China has drawn a clear red line for AI anthropomorphic interactive products and services, involving key content such as user privacy rights and personal information protection, prevention of emotional dependence and addiction, and technology ethics review.
The Technology Age further points out that challenges not only belong to China, but also to the world. Western AI platforms are facing the same compliance challenges, and there is no platform that can build a system that can coexist with persistent emotional interaction architecture while meeting anti addiction compliance requirements. Moreover, the market operated by Western platforms has not yet required them to solve this problem. China was the first to discover problems, introduce regulations, and promote rectification, exploring the path and setting a benchmark for the healthy development of the global AI industry.