China Bans AI Companion Personas as New AI Rules Take Effect
China is cracking down on the rapidly evolving AI industry by tightening its regulatory oversight. Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent announced to disable the customizable persona. . .
China is cracking down on the rapidly evolving AI industry by tightening its regulatory oversight. Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent announced to disable the customizable persona features in AI. This move has been made to comply with Beijing’s new rules on anthropomorphic AI, which are set to take effect on July 15. Also Read:AI Chatbots Are Becoming Smarter Learning CoachesAI Companionship has Resulted in AI Psychosis Among UsersWhile ByteDance’s Doubao and Alibaba’s Qwen chatbot will disable the persona features from July 15, Tencent said it already removed a similar feature last week. These features allowed users to shape personas using language prompts. Additionally, they could also alter the identity, tone, expertise, and conversational style. TheseAI chatbotscould create customised characters, including personal assistants and virtual romantic companions. These personal chatbots have resulted in ‘AI psychosis,’ a non-clinical term used to broadly describe the experiences of users losing touch with reality. WhileAI companionshipexisted in a regulatory gray area, the sector has come under renewed scrutiny because of how easily such services can veer into explicit content. What do China’s New Rules Say?The rules prohibit providers from offering virtual intimate relationships, such as virtual companionship, to minors. It is also required to obtain parental or guardian consent before offering anthropomorphicAI servicesto children under the age of 14, set to take effect on July 15. More than 3,500 noncompliant AI products, including mini-programmes and related products, have been removed, according to the CAC. The next phase of China’s regulatory crackdown is expected to address the growing menace of AI-generated misinformation and obscene content. Join our WhatsApp Channelto get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp