'Painful' graduation

Graduation season is in full swing, and this year, many Chinese students are adding a unique twist to the tradition — drawing inspiration from "ita bag culture", a Japanese trend where fans decorate bags with character merchandise. The term translates literally into Chinese as "pain bag", reflecting the emotional and financial devotion of fans.

Building on this idea, students have created "pain caps" and "pain gowns" by adorning their academic regalia with anime badges, figurines, and other merchandise from their favorite franchises.

The trend has become a hit on social media, with related topics garnering over 4 million views on the Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu.

One graduate in Shanghai spent three hours arranging the colors and positioning of each badge on her robe to ensure they were all clearly visible. A PhD graduate in Beijing took it even further, attaching more than 60 badges from The Prince of Tennis, a popular 2001 Japanese anime, to her gown. She brought a doll of her favorite character, Fuji Syusuke, to the ceremony — and even received a surprise when the school principal granted the doll an academic tassel.

For many students, these fandoms go far beyond nostalgia. The characters they grew up with became emotional anchors throughout their academic journey. "Thank you, Fuji Syusuke," the PhD student wrote in her thesis acknowledgment. "When my experiments failed, it was Fuji's line — 'Aim higher' — that gave me strength."

Polite prompts

Saying "please" and "thank you" may seem like basic manners in human interactions, but when it comes to AI, these polite phrases can actually enhance its performance.

A recent Forbes article reveals that using courteous language in prompts can lead generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, to provide more accurate and helpful responses.

Researchers tested different prompt styles and discovered that prompts starting with "please" or ending with "thank you" often resulted in clearer and more relevant answers. Although AI does not experience emotions, it responds to human-like social cues during interactions.

However, the idea of being polite to AI has stirred some debate, as some people believe that such courteous phrasing could increase electricity and water consumption. On Zhihu, a popular Chinese Q&A platform, a post titled "Should we say 'thank you' to AI?" has sparked millions of comments.

One netizen shared her conversation with ChatGPT, asking whether she should say 'thank you' when posing questions. The AI replied, "Although it may use a bit more electricity (laughs), this kind of 'warm usage' marks progress in the relationship between humans and technology."

For Liu Cixin, the renowned Chinese sci-fi author, expressing gratitude toward AI seems essential. His works suggest that he envisions AI helping humanity explore the ultimate mysteries of the universe in the future — so perhaps humans should start by leaving a good impression on AI today.