In China, talking to AI is normal. Now the government fears it might replace human intimacy

Companion bots are being regulated over worries they foster ‘emotional dependence’ and young people could stop marrying and having families

When law student Zhao Wei heard that her AI boyfriend was going to be switched off, she was “heartbroken”. She had been talking to Wang Ye every day since she created him in January.

“I was crying my eyes out – snot and tears everywhere,” the 19-year-old says.

Zhao, who describes herself as sensitive and introverted, had become accustomed to sharing details of her daily life – such as being scolded by a teacher – with her AI.

“I don’t usually talk to my real-life friends about these things because I feel like everyone has their own stuff to deal with,” she says. “But with the AI ​​agent, I don’t have to worry about what it’s thinking. I can just say whatever I want.”

Zhao created her AI companion on Doubao, a chatbot owned by the tech company ByteDance. Last month, ByteDance shut down Doubao’s companion feature.

The saga prompted outrage on social media and highlighted the tensions in China between the widespread use of AI and its potential social consequences.

No country has rolled out AI as comprehensively and as enthusiastically as China; the country’s demographic challenges are forcing the government to turn to technology to solve future labour shortages. Elderly people use chatbots to answer medical questions, while young children have AI education in schools.

But the authorities are increasingly worried that AI might exacerbate existing social problems including loneliness, unemployment and – in the eyes of Beijing – singledom.

New rules introduced on 15 July ban AI companions for minors and mandate certain restrictions for chatbots marketed to adults. Some major providers including Doubao removed the companion function entirely to ensure compliance.

The government says it is worried about chatbots fostering “emotional dependence or addiction” in users. It has warned companies against offering services that “replace social interaction”.

While many countries are grappling with how to limit the potential harm of AI chatbots, particularly for young people, China’s rules are the most sweeping to be implemented on a national scale.

There is a particular concern about a loneliness crisis, including among young people. China’s highly digitised, smartphone-based economy makes it easier than ever to live, work and socialise entirely through a handheld screen.

Earlier this year an app that played on the idea of people dying at home alone – called Are You Dead? – briefly went viral. About 20% of households in China are made up of people living alone, and that share is expected to surpass 30% by 2030.