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China is reportedly tightening restrictions on AI companion chatbots as the country grapples with a shrinking population and record-low birthrate.
New rules that went into effect Wednesday prohibit chatbots from encouraging emotional dependence or forming virtual romantic or familial relationships with minors. Companies must also contact a guardian or emergency contact if a user faces a life-threatening crisis, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China.
The regulations have already prompted Alibaba and TikTok parent ByteDance to disable certain chatbot features, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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Chinese AI companies must also contact a guardian or emergency contact if a user faces a life-threatening crisis. (iStock / iStock)
Beijing is reportedly concerned that AI companions could discourage people from pursuing real-world relationships.
"They don’t like the idea of a large portion of their population being in deep emotional relationships with chatbots that could take them out of the marriage market," Matt Sheehan, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Wall Street Journal.
Officials also fear addiction, dependency and other social problems, according to Sheehan.
"They want to encourage people to be in actual, real-world relationships," Sheehan added. "Could we imagine a future where, three or four years from now, 15 million Chinese women say that their partner is a chatbot, and therefore they’re not having kids?"
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Beijing is reportedly concerned that AI companions could discourage people from pursuing real-world relationships. (iStock)
The new rules require AI companion chatbots to pass a government review before being released to the public. The government will also have more authority to shut down services they consider unsafe, the outlet reported.
China’s restrictions go further than similar laws in California and New York.
Those two states require chatbots to remind users that they are not human and direct people that are experiencing a crisis to support services.
The crackdown comes as China faces a worsening demographic crisis. The country’s population declined in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year, while its birthrate fell to a record low, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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China’s restrictions go further than similar laws in California and New York. (izusek/Getty Images)
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At the same time, Beijing is also seeking to expand its influence over the future of artificial intelligence worldwide.
At a major technology conference in Shanghai on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted open-source AI and pledged to help developing countries build their capabilities. Xi also warned that unequal access to AI could create "new historical injustices," according to Reuters.
Reuters contributed to this report.
