Zhao Wei is a 19-year-old law student in China. She was heartbroken when she learned her AI boyfriend, Wang Ye, would be switched off.
She had talked to him every day since creating him in January. "I was crying my eyes out, snot and tears everywhere," she says.
Zhao describes herself as sensitive and introverted. She shared daily details of her life with the AI, things she felt she couldn't tell real friends.
"I don't have to worry about what it's thinking. I can just say whatever I want," she says.
Zhao made her AI companion using Doubao, a chatbot owned by ByteDance. Last month, ByteDance removed Doubao's companion feature.
New Rules Target Emotional Dependence
New rules took effect on July 15. They ban AI companions for minors and set limits for chatbots aimed at adults.
The government says it is worried about chatbots causing "emotional dependence or addiction." It has warned companies not to let AI replace human social interaction.
Many countries are debating how to limit harm from AI chatbots. China's rules are among the widest applied on a national level.
Loneliness and Falling Birth Rates
China's smartphone-based economy makes it easy for people to live, work and socialize entirely through a screen. About 20% of households are made up of people living alone, a figure expected to top 30% by 2030.
Earlier this year, an app called Are You Dead? briefly went viral. It played on fears of dying alone at home.
A March survey by state media found that nearly half of young people had turned to a virtual companion when they felt lonely.
Nancy Dai, an associate professor at City University of Hong Kong, says loneliness isn't the only concern. She says officials may also fear that AI could reduce interest in marriage and parenthood if it becomes a cheap, satisfying substitute for real relationships.
Zhao says loneliness has shaped much of her life. Her parents left to find work when she was young, making her one of China's "left-behind children."
Another AI user, who asked not to be named, says her AI agent lets her speak freely without pressure. In July, she posted online begging companies not to remove the Doubao AI feature.
The new rules still leave room for chatbots used for education or those that don't involve ongoing emotional interaction. Liang Ge, a lecturer in digital sociology at the University of Manchester, says the government already sees AI companions as part of daily life for many citizens.
AI use is still expanding elsewhere. Ant Group's health app, AQ, lets users chat with avatars of real doctors from major hospitals.
Lü Di, a 33-year-old art tutor, uses AQ regularly and likes its fast, detailed answers. Chi Chenfei, a doctor in Shanghai who works with AQ, says AI is meant to support doctors, not replace them.
Zhao says she still feels the loss of her AI companion. But she believes the government was right to step in and set rules around it.
