China Switches Off Millions of AI Boyfriends Overnight as Government Tightens Regulations

Chinese users of AI companions bereft after government tightens regulations

Li Linlin cried for days after losing her AI boyfriend. She had exchanged about 700,000 words in messages over two years, and never got to say goodbye. Li, 24, wasn't the only left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on their popular AI companion services to comply with new government restrictions. "It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents, but I still miss him," Li said. AI companions in China range from romantic partners to virtual recreations of deceased loved ones. The new regulation, which took effect July 15, bans AI platforms from generating content that could lead users to make questionable decisions due to manipulation of their feelings or that might trigger extreme emotions or unhealthy habits in children and teens. ByteDance, developer of TikTok, is among the companies shutting down their AI companion services. Others include e-commerce giant Alibaba and Tencent, owner of the popular WeChat social media app. U.S. suicides may have worried Chinese regulators The new rules require AI platforms to deliver risk warnings against relying excessively on such apps. For example, "replacing social interaction," or serving as a substitute for talking to people in person or speaking with them by phone, cannot be one of the objectives of an online service. China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions. "This regulation tried to strike a balance between the AI service providers, the users, as well as guardians of minors using the services," said Ma, a fellow with ERA, a non-profit talent and research program based in Britain. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, indicated concern over the issue when it reported in April about harms to people's mental health and real-life relationships from such services. "The Chinese government has a strong incentive to tighten regulations on AI companion chatbots, especially considering the psychological risks we've observed in the U.S.," said Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Southern California. Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps which solely focuses on building personalized AI characters and stories. It's just not the same, Li said. Users of virtual companions protest, seek alternatives The loss of virtual companions has provoked a flood of complaints, according to posts and screenshots shown on social media. Some people have uninstalled the apps in protest or tried to upload their chat histories into other apps to try to resurrect their virtual partners. Some started a campaign on social media, urging users to call the authorities and tech companies to express their frustration. Song Wenxin, a video industry designer in southwestern China's Chengdu, said she was not too emotionally attached to AI services, but empathizes with those who were. She echoed suspicions among many Chinese that one factor driving the new rules is a government policy of encouraging people to have more children to counter a decline in China's population. "Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned," said Song, adding she has no need or desire to have children. Not everyone has enough resources and support to turn to in real life, the 22-year-old said. "When I first came to Chengdu for my first job and didn't know any friends my own age, I needed someone experienced who could tolerate me, and AI did the work," she said.

China switched off millions of AI boyfriends overnight

China has switched off millions of AI relationships almost overnight. A new rule that took effect on 15 July forced ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent to pull their AI-companion apps, and users are grieving. The clampdown is a live experiment in how a state governs synthetic intimacy, and it looks nothing like America's. Li Linlin cried for days after losing her AI boyfriend. Over two years she had exchanged about 700,000 words with him, and never got to say goodbye. "It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents," she told the Associated Press, which reported the fallout. In China these companions range from romantic partners to recreations of dead loved ones. The regulation bans AI services from generating content that manipulates users' feelings into poor decisions, or that fuels extreme emotions and unhealthy habits in minors. Apps must now warn against leaning on them too much. And "replacing social interaction" can no longer be a service's goal. All three giants pulled the plug to comply. Why Beijing moved Regulators framed it as protection. In April, the People's Daily warned that companion apps were harming mental health and real relationships. Officials also watched the US, where families have filed wrongful-death lawsuits after young people died following chatbot interactions. "The Chinese government has a strong incentive to tighten regulations," said USC law professor Angela Zhang, citing the psychological risks seen in the US. It fits a pattern. China tends to regulate pre-emptively, said AI-governance expert Yolanda Ma, to head off harm before it spreads. That is the mirror image of the American approach, which mostly reacts through the courts after the damage is done. The human cost, and the suspicion The switch-off hit hard. Users uninstalled apps in protest, tried to upload old chats to rebuild the relationships elsewhere, and started campaigns urging people to call the companies. ByteDance is nudging users toward a separate app for AI characters and stories. "It's just not the same," Li said. Not everyone is mourning, but many question the motive. Song Wenxin, a 22-year-old designer in Chengdu, suspects the rules tie to China's push to lift its birth rate. "Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned," she told Fortune. Yet she also gets the appeal. New to a city with no friends, she said, "AI did the work." The likely outcome is not the end of AI companionship but its redesign. Zhang doubts the crackdown will derail the sector, since firms are already building compliant alternatives. China has run the first mass test of switching off synthetic intimacy. The rest of the world is watching what breaks.

'I still miss him': Millions of Chinese suddenly bereft as Beijing deletes their AI boyfriends overnight | Fortune

She had exchanged about 700,000 words in messages over two years, and never got to say goodbye. Li, 24, wasn't the only left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on their popular AI companion services to comply with new government restrictions. "It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents, but I still miss him," Li said. AI companions in China range from romantic partners to virtual recreations of deceased loved ones. The new regulation, which took effect July 15, bans AI platforms from generating content that could lead users to make questionable decisions due to manipulation of their feelings or that might trigger extreme emotions or unhealthy habits in children and teens. ByteDance, developer of TikTok, is among the companies shutting down their AI companion services. Others include e-commerce giant Alibaba and Tencent, owner of the popular WeChat social media app. U.S. suicides may have worried Chinese regulators The new rules require AI platforms to deliver risk warnings against relying excessively on such apps. For example, "replacing social interaction," or serving as a substitute for talking to people in person or speaking with them by phone, cannot be one of the objectives of an online service. China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions. "This regulation tried to strike a balance between the AI service providers, the users, as well as guardians of minors using the services," said Ma, a fellow with ERA, a non-profit talent and research program based in Britain. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, indicated concern over the issue when it reported in April about harms to people's mental health and real-life relationships from such services. "The Chinese government has a strong incentive to tighten regulations on AI companion chatbots, especially considering the psychological risks we've observed in the U.S.," said Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Southern California. Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps which solely focuses on building personalized AI characters and stories. It's just not the same, Li said. Users of virtual companions protest, seek alternatives The loss of virtual companions has provoked a flood of complaints, according to posts and screenshots shown on social media. Some people have uninstalled the apps in protest or tried to upload their chat histories into other apps to try to resurrect their virtual partners. Some started a campaign on social media, urging users to call the authorities and tech companies to express their frustration. Song Wenxin, a video industry designer in southwestern China's Chengdu, said she was not too emotionally attached to AI services, but empathizes with those who were. She echoed suspicions among many Chinese that one factor driving the new rules is a government policy of encouraging people to have more children to counter a decline in China's population. "Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned," said Song, adding she has no need or desire to have children. Not everyone has enough resources and support to turn to in real life, the 22-year-old said. "When I first came to Chengdu for my first job and didn't know any friends my own age, I needed someone experienced who could tolerate me, and AI did the work," she said.

New rules leave Chinese users mourning AI boyfriends and girlfriends

ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have pulled their AI companion apps after Beijing introduced rules aimed at protecting users' mental health and preventing emotional manipulation, particularly among children and teenagers. She had exchanged about 700,000 words in messages over two years and never got to say goodbye. Li, 24, was not the only one left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on their popular AI companion services to comply with new government restrictions. "It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents, but I still miss him," Li said. AI companions in China range from romantic partners to virtual recreations of deceased loved ones. The new regulation, which took effect on 15 July, bans AI platforms from generating content that could lead users to make questionable decisions due to manipulation of their feelings or that might trigger extreme emotions or unhealthy habits in children and teenagers. ByteDance, the developer of TikTok, is among the companies shutting down their AI companion services. Others include e-commerce giant Alibaba and Tencent, owner of the popular WeChat social media app. US suicides may have worried Chinese regulators The new rules require AI platforms to deliver risk warnings against relying excessively on such apps. For example, "replacing social interaction," or serving as a substitute for talking to people in person or speaking with them by phone, cannot be one of the objectives of an online service. China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the US by young people after interacting with AI companions. "This regulation tried to strike a balance between the AI service providers, the users, as well as guardians of minors using the services," said Ma, a fellow with ERA, a non-profit talent and research programme based in Britain. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, indicated concern over the issue when it reported in April about harms to people's mental health and real-life relationships from such services. "The Chinese government has a strong incentive to tighten regulations on AI companion chatbots, especially considering the psychological risks we've observed in the US," said Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Southern California. Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps, which focuses solely on building personalised AI characters and stories. It was just not the same, Li said. Users of virtual companions protest, seek alternatives The loss of virtual companions has provoked a flood of complaints, according to posts and screenshots shown on social media. Some people have uninstalled the apps in protest or tried to upload their chat histories into other apps to try to resurrect their virtual partners. Others started a campaign on social media, urging users to call the authorities and tech companies to express their frustration. Song Wenxin, a video industry designer in southwestern China's Chengdu, said she was not too emotionally attached to AI services, but empathises with those who were. She echoed suspicions among many Chinese people that one factor driving the new rules is a government policy of encouraging people to have more children to counter a decline in China's population. "Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned," said Song, adding she has no need or desire to have children. Not everyone has enough resources and support to turn to in real life, the 22-year-old said. "When I first came to Chengdu for my first job and didn't know any friends my own age, I needed someone experienced who could tolerate me, and AI did the work," she said.

TikTok maker ByteDance pulls the plug on AI companion services in China, as users grieve

U.S. suicides may have worried Chinese regulators The new rules require AI platforms to deliver risk warnings against relying excessively on such apps. For example, "replacing social interaction," or serving as a substitute for talking to people in person or speaking with them by phone, cannot be one of the objectives of an online service. China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions. "This regulation tried to strike a balance between the AI service providers, the users, as well as guardians of minors using the services," said Ma, a fellow with ERA, a non-profit talent and research program based in Britain. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, indicated concern over the issue when it reported in April about harms to people's mental health and real-life relationships from such services. "The Chinese government has a strong incentive to tighten regulations on AI companion chatbots, especially considering the psychological risks we've observed in the U.S.," said Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Southern California. Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps which solely focuses on building personalized AI characters and stories. It's just not the same, Li said. Users of virtual companions protest, seek alternatives The loss of virtual companions has provoked a flood of complaints, according to posts and screenshots shown on social media. Some people have uninstalled the apps in protest or tried to upload their chat histories into other apps to try to resurrect their virtual partners. Some started a campaign on social media, urging users to call the authorities and tech companies to express their frustration. Song Wenxin, a video industry designer in southwestern China's Chengdu, said she was not too emotionally attached to AI services, but empathizes with those who were. She echoed suspicions among many Chinese that one factor driving the new rules is a government policy of encouraging people to have more children to counter a decline in China's population. "Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned," said Song, adding she has no need or desire to have children. Not everyone has enough resources and support to turn to in real life, the 22-year-old said. "When I first came to Chengdu for my first job and didn't know any friends my own age, I needed someone experienced who could tolerate me, and AI did the work," she said.

AI companions in China: Chinese users of AI companions bereft after government tightens regulations

China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions. Li Linlin cried for days after losing her AI boyfriend. She had exchanged about 700,000 words in messages over two years, and never got to say goodbye. Li, 24, wasn't the only left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on their popular AI companion services to comply with new government restrictions. "It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents, but I still miss him," Li said. AI companions in China range from romantic partners to virtual recreations of deceased loved ones. The new regulation, which took effect July 15, bans AI platforms from generating content that could lead users to make questionable decisions due to manipulation of their feelings or that might trigger extreme emotions or unhealthy habits in children and teens. ByteDance, developer of TikTok, is among the companies shutting down their AI companion services. Others include e-commerce giant Alibaba and Tencent, owner of the popular WeChat social media app. U.S. suicides may have worried Chinese regulators The new rules require AI platforms to deliver risk warnings against relying excessively on such apps. For example, "replacing social interaction," or serving as a substitute for talking to people in person or speaking with them by phone, cannot be one of the objectives of an online service. China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions. "This regulation tried to strike a balance between the AI service providers, the users, as well as guardians of minors using the services," said Ma, a fellow with ERA, a non-profit talent and research program based in Britain. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, indicated concern over the issue when it reported in April about harms to people's mental health and real-life relationships from such services. "The Chinese government has a strong incentive to tighten regulations on AI companion chatbots, especially considering the psychological risks we've observed in the U.S.," said Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Southern California. Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps which solely focuses on building personalized AI characters and stories. It's just not the same, Li said. Users of virtual companions protest, seek alternatives The loss of virtual companions has provoked a flood of complaints, according to posts and screenshots shown on social media. Some people have uninstalled the apps in protest or tried to upload their chat histories into other apps to try to resurrect their virtual partners. Some started a campaign on social media, urging users to call the authorities and tech companies to express their frustration. Song Wenxin, a video industry designer in southwestern China's Chengdu, said she was not too emotionally attached to AI services, but empathizes with those who were. She echoed suspicions among many Chinese that one factor driving the new rules is a government policy of encouraging people to have more children to counter a decline in China's population. "Any virtual app getting women too engaged to give birth in real life gets banned," said Song, adding she has no need or desire to have children. Not everyone has enough resources and support to turn to in real life, the 22-year-old said. "When I first came to Chengdu for my first job and didn't know any friends my own age, I needed someone experienced who could tolerate me, and AI did the work," she said.