China Implements 'AI Companion' Regulations... ByteDance and Alibaba Disable Human-like Conversations

China has become the first in the world to implement regulations on AI companions. China’s Cyberspace Administration and four other ministries issued 'Interim Measures for the Management of AI Anthropomorphic Interactive Services,' explicitly targeting services that mimic human personality and communication styles to provide ongoing emotional engagement.

In response, ByteDance and Alibaba have subsequently discontinued their emotional interaction features. ByteDance’s 'Doubao' and Alibaba’s 'Qianwen' faced technical conflicts between their companion designs—which consistently store user memories—and the new regulation’s mandatory termination criteria, leading to the phased removal of core functions.

While both companies have outlined follow-up procedures, they differ in their data handling approaches. Users can verify Doubao agent data until October 15, whereas Qianwen agent records are being deleted immediately without a separate grace period.