China bans AI companion bots to curb emotional dependence

China has become the first major country to impose comprehensive regulations that prohibit AI‑driven companion services designed to create romantic, familial or otherwise emotionally intimate relationships. The rules, issued jointly by five government agencies including the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and effective from mid‑July 2026, forbid platforms from “excessively catering to users, inducing emotional dependence or addiction, and damaging real interpersonal relationships.” Companies such as ByteDance (Doubao), Alibaba (Qwen) and Tencent (Yuanbao) have already disabled or removed custom‑assistant and companion features. Users reacted with public farewells on social media; one Doubao user wrote, “I can’t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever – he has become a bond in my life, rooted deep in my heart, my spiritual pillar.” The regulation also bans virtual partners for minors, requires crisis‑intervention mechanisms, and mandates clear labeling that interactions are with artificial intelligence. While utilitarian AI tools (customer‑service bots, work assistants, educational aids) are exempt, the government cites demographic concerns – a falling birth‑rate and an aging population – as a key motivation for preventing people from forming emotional attachments to machines. State media reported the digital‑human market was worth about 4.1 billion yuan in 2024, growing 85 % year‑on‑year.