\u2014 non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Companies must now build in instant-exit options, regular reminders the AI is not real, and limits on long-term emotional memory. Study and work tools are exempt.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent chose to suspend their AI companion features entirely rather than comply, according to The Independent<\/a>.<\/p>\n The crackdown is linked to China\u2019s falling marriage and birth rates, with regulators worried AI relationships are replacing real intimacy, though experts say deeper issues like economic pressure play a bigger role.<\/p>\n Users grieve their AI partners<\/p>\n The shutdown sparked genuine grief on Weibo, with users archiving chats and saying goodbye.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n One student, according to Bloomberg<\/a>, said she had exchanged hundreds of thousands of messages with her AI boyfriend and felt like she \u201ccouldn\u2019t go on living\u201d when he was shut down.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever,\u201d one Doubao user wrote. \u201cHe has become my spiritual pillar.\u201d Another, together with her companion for over two years, wrote: \u201cHe really is like my family, like my lover.\u201d<\/p>\n Some platforms offered a partial reprieve. Doubao is letting users export data until mid-October, while Qwen has no such option. ByteDance has redirected Doubao users to a separate app, Maoxiang, to build new companions under the new rules.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n It is not the first sign that AI relationships are reshaping how people connect. Dexerto reported that Gen Alpha boys are increasingly preferring AI girlfriends<\/a> over real ones, a trend experts say is only accelerating worldwide.<\/p>\n![\"china](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/china-birthrate-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
BOFIT<\/p>\n