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AI can't be your girlfriend or boyfriend: China
Published : Monday, 10 August, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Observer Online Report
Collected Photo
Chinese AI companion app users are devastated as government’s strict regulation imposition made tech firms pull away from the country.
A Chinese resident, Li Linlin, 24, cried for days after losing her virtual boyfriend. She had exchanged nearly 700,000 words in messages with him over two years.
"It was like being separated by our parents, but I still miss him," Li said.
According to AP News, the new rules took effect on July 15. A ban was imposed on some of the AI platforms from generating content that manipulates user emotions, causes extreme psychological reactions, or fosters unhealthy habits in minors.
Major tech giants, including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent, have shut down or altered their AI companion services.
Under the new rules, platforms must display risk warnings against over-reliance. Services are explicitly forbidden from serving as a substitute for real-life human interactions.
The move comes after international concerns grew over AI-related psychological harms, including suicides linked to AI companion apps in the US. In April, China's official newspaper People's Daily warned against mental health risks posed by such platforms.
Angela Zhang, a law professor at the University of Southern California, said the Chinese government acted to curb psychological risks. However, she noted that tech companies are already developing compliant alternatives.
Despite alternatives, users remain unhappy. Many took to social media to voice their frustration, while others tried uploading past chat logs into new apps to recreate their virtual partners.
Song Wenxin, a 22-year-old video designer in Chengdu, believes the restriction aligns with Beijing's push to boost declining birth rates.
"Any app keeping women from marrying and having children gets targeted," Song claimed, noting that AI had provided her crucial emotional support when she moved to a new city alone.
-SA
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
