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China’s big decision! Ban on AI Chatbots that create emotional relationships, Government’s preference for real relationships
Samira Vishwas | July 21, 2026 5:24 PM CST

  • China has imposed strict restrictions on AI chatbots that make users emotionally dependent on AI.
  • According to the new rules, the AI ​​chatbot will have to send an alert to the emergency contact if it detects that the user is in emotional distress.
  • The government says the main objective behind the move is to promote real relationships and family systems, not AI.

A new regulation has been issued in China for tech companies and specifically for AI chatbots. Now tech companies need to stop creating AI chatbots that make users emotionally dependent on themselves. China is trying to solve the problem of its declining birth rate and declining population. Currently, there is a worldwide concern that, AI Partners can replace real-world relationships, and in the meantime, China has announced its decision. The case is reminiscent of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s repeated warnings about a declining population.

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What are China’s new rules?

China has implemented these new rules across the country for the past few weeks. According to these new regulations implemented by China, AI chatbots that befriend humans are now banned. These are AI chatbots that make people habituate and emotionally depend on them. Virtual sex with minors is also completely banned in these rules. If a chatbot senses that a user is experiencing emotional distress or a problem, companies need to immediately alert its emergency contact. (Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Some features of the chatbot will be disabled

The new rules also apply to China’s AI companion services, including products from Alibaba and TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. Both these companies have clearly told the users that some features of the chatbot will be disabled to comply with the new rules.

What did the experts say?

Experts have expressed their views on the matter and say that AI companions prevent people from forming real-life relationships and families. Matt Sheehan, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believes that governments will not want a large segment of their population to develop deep emotional connections with chatbots, because that would mean that this segment of the population is out of the bonds of marriage. He further said that the government wants people to develop real-life relationships with AI companions instead of emotional ones.

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According to the new rules, AI companion chatbots will have to go through a government review before they can be officially launched in the market. Authorities have full right to shut down services which they feel are not safe. This rule is much stricter than in US states like California and New York, where AI laws require chatbots to only remind users that the chatbots are not human and inform the help desk if needed.


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