China Sets New Rules for Emotional Companion AI as Two Major Platforms Withdraw Agents

On 15 July 2026, China introduces its first dedicated regulatory framework for AI services that simulate human personality, the Interim Measures for the Administration of AI Anthropomorphic Interactive Services. The rules target services that simulate the personality, thinking, and communication style of real people to provide continuous emotional interaction. Standard productivity tools, customer service bots, and question-and-answer assistants are explicitly excluded.

The measures set a demanding bar for products that build ongoing emotional relationships with users. Providers must disclose clearly that the user is interacting with AI rather than a person, display mandatory notifications after two continuous hours of use, detect signs of over-dependence and issue reminders, and honour a request to exit immediately without manipulative retention tactics. The regulation also prohibits AI services from providing virtual intimate relationships to users under 14 without explicit parental consent.

These requirements are described as structurally at odds with agents built on persistent memory, whose value rests on continuity and emotional investment. Rather than rebuild their systems in time, ByteDance and Alibaba are withdrawing agent features from Doubao and Qwen. Doubao users retain read-only access to configurations and chat histories until 15 October 2026, after which the data is no longer recoverable within the app. For Qwen, no equivalent grace period has been announced, and configurations and conversation histories will be permanently deleted.

The development matters for children and families because it treats sustained emotional interaction with AI as a distinct governance concern rather than a routine content problem. It sits alongside a wider trend: California's SB 243, effective 1 January 2026, and Washington's HB 2225, effective 1 January 2027, both address companion chatbots, with the latter prohibiting techniques designed to prolong emotional dependence. China's rules are broader, covering all users rather than only minors.

The Foundation notes that the same design features that make a companion agent engaging, memory, consistency, and a growing sense of relationship, are precisely those the regulation seeks to interrupt. The original reporting is by TechTimes and is available here.