The phenomenon of artificial intelligence boyfriends and girlfriends is growing worldwide, along with the prevalence of human-like avatars that sell products or stand in for loved ones who have died.
But these interactive tools must not "excessively cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and damage users' real interpersonal relationships", China's new rulebook says.
Major AI providers including ByteDance's Doubao, Alibaba's Qwen, and Tencent's Yuanbao announced the suspension of their custom AI agent and companion features ahead of the Wednesday deadline.
That sparked an outpouring of grief on social media, with users archiving chat histories and sharing last conversations.
A humanoid robot developed by Ex-Robots winks at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China, Aug. 21, 2024. Photo by Reuters
