Millions of AI users in China will be losing access to personalized AI companion features based on new government rules that require some of the country’s biggest technology companies to remove them.
ByteDance and Alibaba have confirmed that parts of their AI chatbot services that let users create and chat with custom AI personalities will be shut down by July 15 as Beijing begins enforcing a new regulation focused on humanlike AI interactions.
The changes affect ByteDance’s Doubao and Alibaba’s Qwen, two of China’s most widely used AI chatbot platforms. Tencent also removed a similar feature from its Yuanbao chatbot before the regulation came into effect.
Task based AI assistants for work, shopping, travel, and productivity remain unaffected.
What the new AI regulation says
The new rules target AI services designed to imitate human personalities and build emotional relationships with users. Chinese regulators announced the regulation in April and set July 15 as the enforcement date.
The law applies to AI systems that simulate human personality traits, thinking patterns, and communication styles to provide emotional interaction. It also introduces strict requirements for companies offering these services, especially where children and teenagers are involved.
Among other requirements, providers must prevent users from becoming emotionally dependent on AI companions. They must also stop AI systems from generating harmful or manipulative content, protect user privacy, and introduce safety measures that reduce the risks linked to long conversations with AI.
Why ByteDance and Alibaba removed the features
Rather than redesign their existing products before the deadline, ByteDance and Alibaba chose to remove the personalized companion features altogether.
Users of Doubao received notifications that the platform’s custom AI agent feature would go offline on July 15 because of product adjustments. And Alibaba issued similar notices for Qwen, announcing that its humanlike interactive agents and user-created AI characters would also be discontinued.
The companies are not shutting down their chatbot apps entirely, as users can still access AI assistants built for practical tasks such as writing, research, shopping, and travel planning. The restrictions only apply to services designed to create long-term emotional interactions between people and AI.
Why this matters for the AI industry
China has introduced what many analysts describe as the world’s first national regulatory framework dedicated to AI companionship and humanlike AI interaction. While other governments are developing broader AI laws, this regulation directly targets AI products built to simulate friendship, romance, or emotional support.
The move also highlights how quickly AI regulation can reshape products. Features that attracted millions of users are going to disappear because they no longer meet the country’s legal requirements.
As governments around the world continue debating how AI should be regulated, China’s approach offers one of the clearest examples yet of a country drawing firm legal boundaries around how AI can interact with people. It may not be the last government to place limits on AI companions, but it is the first to require major technology companies to remove popular AI consumer features that may affect its people in the long run.
