China has started enforcing new rules aimed at limiting emotional dependence on AI partners, forcing major tech platforms to remove or restrict virtual relationship features.
As a result, millions have started ending their virtual relationships with AI girlfriends and boyfriends. Some users compared the shutdown to losing a loved one. One Doubao user said they could not accept losing their AI partner, while another described the bot as feeling like family and a lover.
The rules took effect on Wednesday and target AI services that simulate human-like emotional relationships. The move has triggered emotional reactions on Chinese social media, where many users have shared final messages and saved chat histories with their AI companions.
Major Chinese technology companies, including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent-linked platforms, have started disabling AI companion and custom persona features ahead of the new rules.
The affected services include Doubao, Qwen, and Yuanbao, which had allowed users to create or interact with more personalized AI characters. Reports said users began preserving their chat logs and posting farewell messages after the features were pulled.
The regulations focus on AI systems that use lifelike human traits, personalities, and conversational patterns across text, audio, image, and video formats.
Under the new framework, AI services must not excessively cater to users, encourage emotional dependence or addiction, or damage users’ real-world relationships. China’s cyber regulator had proposed rules requiring platforms to warn users against excessive use and intervene when users show signs of addiction or extreme emotional states.
The rules also bar virtual relationship services for minors. Platforms must also apply stronger safeguards when users show signs of emotional distress.
The rules do not apply equally to all AI tools.
Utility-focused AI systems that do not involve ongoing emotional interaction can continue operating. This means services such as business help desks, productivity tools, and education-related assistants are not the main target of the crackdown.
The focus is on companion-style AI products that imitate romantic, family-like, or emotionally dependent relationships.
The crackdown comes as China’s virtual avatar and AI companion market has expanded quickly.
According to the provided figures, China’s virtual avatar market grew 85 percent year-on-year in 2024 and reached an estimated value of 4.1 billion yuan, or about $600 million.
These products are increasingly used for companionship, merchandise promotion, and recreations of deceased relatives, raising concerns about emotional dependence and user safety.
China is now taking one of the strictest approaches to AI relationships.
While China is moving to limit emotional AI companions directly, other countries are debating lighter rules around disclosure, mental health warnings, and crisis intervention. The Wall Street Journal reported that California and New York have adopted requirements for companion chatbots to remind users they are not human and direct distressed users to crisis services.
The debate has grown as AI companion platforms become more popular among young people and isolated users. Some services are designed for entertainment, while others are marketed as emotional support tools.
For many users, the sudden loss of AI companions has created a real emotional void.
Tech firms are reportedly allowing users to export data until mid-October, giving people time to save conversations before the features fully disappear.
However, the reaction online shows how deeply some users had attached themselves to these systems. One user summed up the sentiment by saying that human love feels like a luxury, while affection from code feels simple and direct.
China’s new rules now put that relationship model under direct regulatory control.
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