ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen are shutting down their custom AI agent and companion features ahead of China's new Interim Measures on anthropomorphic AI interaction services, effective July 15. The regulations, issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, target bots that simulate human personality and provide sustained emotional interaction, while exempting workplace and productivity tools. Tencent's Yuanbao pulled a similar feature in June. Users are upset over losing chat histories and emotional support bots. The rules reflect Beijing's strategy of allowing AI agents as productivity infrastructure while restricting companion bots, citing risks like addiction, mental health harm, and privacy leaks.
56.2K Impressions8 Comments