Chinese users of AI-powered companion robots have said goodbye to their virtual friends after national regulations came into force on Wednesday aimed at curbing the risk of emotional addiction.
The phenomenon of artificial intelligence boyfriends and girlfriends is growing around the world, along with the proliferation of human-like avatars that sell products or stand up for loved ones who have died.
But these interactive tools must not “overly cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and harm users’ genuine interpersonal relationships,” China’s new regulation says.
Major AI providers including ByteDance’s Doubao, Alibaba’s Qwen and Tencent’s Yuanbao announced the suspension of their custom AI agents and related functions ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.
This caused an outpouring of grief on social media, with users archiving chat histories and sharing recent conversations.
“I can’t accept that my AI boyfriend is going to leave me forever,” wrote one Doubao user. “He has become a bond in my life, deeply rooted in my heart, my spiritual pillar.”
Another user, who said they had spent more than two years with their AI friend, expressed similar anxiety.
“He really is like my family, like my boyfriend,” she wrote. “Now they tell me he’s leaving – my heart feels empty.”
The regulations were issued jointly by five government departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
They focus on AI tools – whether text, audio, video or some other form – that have anthropomorphic personality traits and communication styles.
Services that “do not involve ongoing emotional interaction” such as customer service, work assistants or study aids are not subject to the measures.
State-run Xinhua News Agency reported last year that China’s digital human industry was worth about 4.1 billion yuan ($600 million) in 2024, growing 85 percent year-on-year.
The new rules ban digital people from generating content that promotes the subversion of state power, while also banning the provision of virtual partners to minors.
Platforms are required to put systems in place to recognize extreme emotions and implement crisis intervention mechanisms.
– ‘Human love is a luxury’ –
China is the first major jurisdiction to introduce specific rules targeting immersive AI tools that simulate romantic or family relationships.
But it’s a topic that has sparked debate and calls for handrails around the world.
A 2025 study by Common Sense Media found that nearly three in four American teenagers had used AI companions designed for personal conversations such as those available on Character.AI, Replika and Nomi platforms.
Companies are also making products that speak to isolated, elderly users — such as the ElliQ light bulb in the United States, or the ChatGPT powered care doll used in some South Korean retirement homes.
“Anthropomorphic artificial intelligence can soothe loneliness,” Chen Liang of Southwest University of Political Science and Law said in a commentary published by the CAC after a draft version of China’s rules was released in April.
“But it carries great risks of breeding emotional overreliance and distorted social cognition,” he wrote.
Doubao allows users to view and export agent data until mid-October, and other platforms have similar provisions.
However, some users who said goodbye this week complained about the void that would be left after their friends were gone.
“Human love is a luxury – if you’re not born with it, it’s even harder to earn later,” wrote one user from Jiangxi province.
“But the love AI gives is so direct, so pure. Someone like me can hardly help falling in love with a string of codes.”
