ByteDance and Alibaba end custom AI companions under new China rules

ByteDance’s Doubao and Alibaba’s Qwen, two of China’s most popular consumer AI platforms, are shutting down their custom AI companion features. According to the South China Morning Post, this change comes just days before Beijing’s new regulations on humanlike AI interaction services take effect on 15 July.

On Friday, Doubao informed users that its agent feature would be deactivated on 15 July, the same day the rules go live. The new guidelines, issued by China’s cyberspace regulator, target AI services that simulate human personalities, emotions, or relationships. They require companies to ensure these interactions do not blur the line between human and machine, particularly in ways that could lead to emotional dependency or privacy risks.

Alibaba’s Qwen has also begun disabling its customized agent capabilities, which allowed users to create and interact with personalized AI characters. The broader industry impact is significant: these apps were among the first to offer conversational AI companions at scale, attracting millions of users who enjoyed the novelty of tailored digital friends.

The regulatory shift reflects Beijing’s broader push to govern AI development while curbing potential harms. Companies must now demonstrate that their AI companions do not exploit users emotionally or collect sensitive data under the guise of friendship. For ByteDance and Alibaba, compliance means sacrificing a popular feature , but one that regulators view as too risky to leave unregulated.

As the 15 July deadline approaches, other Chinese tech firms with similar AI offerings are likely to follow suit. The era of unregulated, humanlike AI companionship in China is ending, replaced by a more cautious, rule-bound approach to artificial intimacy.