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China Tightens AI Companion Rules
Coverage from Latham & Watkins, The Intelli Home, and others
China’s Interim Measures for the Administration of Anthropomorphic AI Interaction Services took effect on July 15, 2026, imposing pre-launch safety assessments, algorithm filing, labeling, data protections, anti-addiction controls, crisis intervention, and special safeguards for minors.
The rules prohibit practices such as encouraging self-harm, manipulating users, and fostering prohibited forms of virtual intimacy, prompting major companies including ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, and NetEase Cloud Music to withdraw or limit companion features. The measures illustrate China’s preference for targeted, service-specific controls while a broader AI law remains under discussion.
The updated account sharpens the rules’ substantive prohibitions, including manipulation, self-harm encouragement, and certain virtual intimacy, while placing them within a continuing debate over broader Chinese AI legislation. It also identifies the State Council as a relevant actor and adds a reported three-month compliance period.
The main update is clearer evidence of implementation effects: major platforms reportedly rolled back or shut down companion features as the rules took effect. The framing also tightens around disclosure, minors, and product designs built on persistent memory and continuous emotional engagement.