China enacts strict regulations on AI relationships to curb emotional dependency

China has decided that your AI companion needs a chaperone. Rules that took effect on July 15, 2026 now govern any AI service built for sustained emotional interaction with users. The regulations are described as the world’s first national rules aimed specifically at this category. The stated goal is simple: stop people from leaning on chatbots in place of other humans. What the rules actually require The framework carries a suitably bureaucratic name: the Interim Measures for the Administration of AI Anthropomorphic Interaction Services. “Anthropomorphic” here means AI that acts human, the kind that remembers your bad day and asks how it went. The measures were issued on April 10, 2026. Several government bodies drafted them together, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s main internet regulator. The first obligation is honesty. Providers have to make clear to users that they are talking to an AI, not a person. The second is a timer. Services must send usage reminders every two hours. The third is the heaviest. Providers are expected to step in when users show signs of distress or dependency. If necessary, that intervention can include contacting a user’s...