China has imposed strict new rules on AI companion services that form deep emotional bonds with users, and the country’s largest technology companies have already removed virtual boyfriend and girlfriend features in response. The regulations, issued jointly by the Cyberspace Administration of China and four other government bodies, took effect in mid July.
The government says the aim is to curb emotional dependence, psychological attachment and potential addiction to AI systems so that real human relationships are not displaced.
What the rules require
Under the regulations, AI companions may not be designed to flatter users excessively, encourage emotional reliance or position themselves as replacements for human relationships. Systems may not steer users toward interacting only with the AI.
The scope is broad. The rules apply to any AI system that adopts a human like persona and maintains continuous emotional contact through text, voice, video or other channels. Customer service bots, educational assistants, workplace tools and other AI systems that do not cultivate emotional bonds are not covered.
Minors receive specific protection. Platforms are barred from offering AI boyfriends or girlfriends to underage users. All providers must also deploy monitoring systems able to detect signs of acute emotional distress or unusual dependence and intervene where necessary.
Platforms moved first
Before the rules took effect, ByteDance’s Doubao, Alibaba’s Qwen and Tencent’s Yuanbao announced they were suspending custom AI agents and virtual partner features. According to AFP, thousands of users shared screenshots of final conversations, saved chat histories and posted farewell messages online.
Some reactions drew international attention. One user described being unable to accept that an AI partner who had become part of daily life would disappear for good. A woman who had spoken with her AI companion for two years said it had felt like family and a partner, and that its departure left a gap that would be hard to fill.
A growing industry
State news agency Xinhua has reported that China’s digital human industry reached about 4.1 billion yuan (roughly $600 million) in 2024, an increase of 85 percent in a single year. Companion apps have grown fastest among people dealing with loneliness, stress or social difficulties.
Legal scholar Chen Liang, quoted in Chinese media, said such AI characters can ease loneliness in the short term but that heavy emotional reliance can pull people away from real relationships and create psychological and social problems over time.
The government’s stated position is that AI should assist people rather than build attachments that weaken social ties. Several outlets have also linked the move to official concern about China’s falling marriage and birth rates.
Experts note the issue is not unique to China. Companion apps are expanding worldwide, and regulators elsewhere are beginning to examine their effects on young and vulnerable users. China’s rules are among the first to set binding limits on how emotionally engaging an AI product is allowed to be, and other governments are likely to watch how they work in practice.
