First K-Pop AI “Dating Scandal” — SUPERKIND’s Seung Responds “To The Scandal Rumors” About MAVE:’s ZENA
K-Pop has been venturing further and further into the metaverse, using new technology to create innovative concepts. Some recent collaborations allow K-Pop fans to watch their favorite artists in new ways, like how Mnet‘s Boys Planet is collaborating with The Sandbox to create an interactive way for viewers to enjoy the show.
Or how BLACKPINK collaborated with PUBG MOBILE for an entire virtual concert.
'BLACKPINK X PUBG MOBILE 2022 IN-GAME CONCERT: [THE VIRTUAL]' Coming soon!
North & South America:22nd-23rd and 29th-30th July
Rest of the World: 23rd-24th and 30th-31st July #BLACKPINKxPUBGM #BLACKPINK #PUBGMOBILE #THEVIRTUAL #INGAMECONCERT @BLACKPINK pic.twitter.com/anHLiGioVy— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) July 12, 2022
AI concepts in K-Pop are also becoming more prevalent. Aespa and K/DA are primarily credited with spearheading the integration of AI with K-Pop, and artists like Apoki, Eternity, SUPERKIND, and MAVE: are furthering the concept.
SUPERKIND is a K-Pop boy group that was initially comprised of one AI member, SAEJiN, and four members, Daemon, Eugene, Geon, and SiO. Later, it was revealed that the group will eventually have five real people and five AI members. Currently, SUPERKIND has seven members, with JDV and AI member Seung having recently joined the group.
SUPERKIND’s TikTok account showcases all the members of the group, with an emphasis on showing the development of the AI members SAEJiN and Seung.
@playsuperkind #OMG 벌써 내가 어른이라니… 말도 안 돼😱 #SUPERKIND #슈퍼카인드 #PlaySUPERKIND
@playsuperkind [Trainee Weekly Evaluation – Feedback📝] 피드백 다 읽어봤는데요.. #연습생 #trainee #kpop #predebut #playsuperkind
@playsuperkind 과제 제출용 인생 네컷 #소희승_웃으라고 #ai #idol #superkind #playsuperkind
One video of Seung that recently went viral was the AI idol’s reaction to another AI group, MAVE:.
Unlike SUPERKIND, MAVE: is entirely comprised of AI members, and while netizens had mixed reactions to the group’s concept, fans ultimately seemed to love MAVE:’s debut song, “PANDORA.”
why is pandora by mave actually really good 😭
— Tina ʚɞ 🌕 🌷☁️ (@wemeluvbot) February 20, 2023
SUPERKIND’s Seung also responded positively to MAVE:’s debut, even dropping his lollipop in shock at their debut music video.
@playsuperkind
In the comments on the TikTok, which has been viewed almost one million times, netizens joked that “dating scandals are coming” between the AI idols.
Seung then reacted to MAVE:’s debut Music Core stage, with netizens joking that he was comparing the budget of the two groups.
@playsuperkind
And then, in a video titled “Seung’s reply to the scandal rumors,” Seung reacted to netizens’ comments about his reactions. Seung agreed that he is “into MAVE:.”
One netizen’s comment joked that he shouldn’t “look at other girls,” which had AI Seung trying to reassure the fan.
The final comment Seung reacted to was a suggestion that MAVE:’s ZENA would “treat him [to] dinner.” Which Seung seemed to get flustered by.
Netizens mostly played along with the video, jokingly competing with ZENA for Seung’s attention.
And teasing that yet-to-debut AI idol Nævis (also known as NAVIS or Naevis) would be upset Seung wasn’t crushing on her instead.
Some netizens pointed out that, ironically enough, because the idols are AI, they can joke about dating or having a crush. In contrast, a human idol acting this way might receive more backlash given the standards in the K-Pop industry.
But netizens are loving the humor in the interactions between the AI idols.
While no K-Pop fan expected to talk about dating scandals between AI idols, netizens can look forward to the development of Seung’s interactions with MAVE:.
superkind's AI member seung reacting to AI group MAVE debut MV. this is a sentence i thought i would never form pic.twitter.com/thzOXSzDPa
— h∀nabi (@yunhoenapp) February 5, 2023
You can watch the full TikTok here.
@playsuperkind 🚨Rumor or Truth? #Seung is in trouble!😂 #ai #idol #superkind #predebut #playsuperkind
You can read more about the integration of AI in K-Pop here.