Chinese users of AI companions are grieving after major tech companies in the country shut down their popular services to comply with new government restrictions. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Li Linlin, 24, cried for days after losing her AI boyfriend. She had exchanged about 700,000 words in messages over two years and never got to say goodbye.
Li was not the only one left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on their AI companion services to comply with new government restrictions.
"It was like we were forced to be separated by our parents, but I still miss him," Li said.
AI companions in China range from romantic partners to virtual recreations of deceased loved ones.
The new regulation, which took effect July 15, bans AI platforms from generating content that could lead users to make questionable decisions due to manipulation of their feelings or that might trigger extreme emotions or unhealthy habits in children and teens.
ByteDance, developer of TikTok, is among the companies shutting down their AI companion services. Others include e-commerce giant Alibaba and Tencent, owner of the popular WeChat social media app.
The new rules require AI platforms to deliver risk warnings against relying excessively on such apps. For example, "replacing social interaction," or serving as a substitute for talking to people in person or speaking with them by phone, cannot be one of the objectives of an online service.
China has a tradition of paternalistic government regulations meant to pre-empt potential problems, said Yolanda Ma, an expert on AI governance. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions.