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Former Deputy National Security Advisor Victoria Coates says the world will \u2018have to decide\u2019 which superpowers to align with on A.I. on \u2018The Bottom Line.\u2019<\/p>\n
China is reportedly tightening restrictions on AI companion chatbots as the country grapples with a shrinking population and record-low birthrate.<\/p>\n
New rules that went into effect Wednesday prohibit chatbots from encouraging emotional dependence or forming virtual romantic or familial relationships with minors. Companies must also contact a guardian or emergency contact if a user faces a life-threatening crisis, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China.<\/p>\n
The regulations have already prompted Alibaba and TikTok parent ByteDance to disable certain chatbot features, The Wall Street Journal reported.<\/p>\n
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Chinese AI companies must also contact a guardian or emergency contact if a user faces a life-threatening crisis. (iStock \/ iStock)<\/p>\n
Beijing is reportedly concerned that AI companions could discourage people from pursuing real-world relationships.<\/p>\n
“They don\u2019t like the idea of a large portion of their population being in deep emotional relationships with chatbots that could take them out of the marriage market,” Matt Sheehan, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n
Officials also fear addiction, dependency and other social problems, according to Sheehan.<\/p>\n
“They want to encourage people to be in actual, real-world relationships,” Sheehan added. “Could we imagine a future where, three or four years from now, 15 million Chinese women say that their partner is a chatbot, and therefore they\u2019re not having kids?”<\/p>\n
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Beijing is reportedly concerned that AI companions could discourage people from pursuing real-world relationships. (iStock)<\/p>\n
The new rules require AI companion chatbots to pass a government review before being released to the public. The government will also have more authority to shut down services they consider unsafe, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s restrictions go further than similar laws in California and New York.<\/p>\n
Those two states require chatbots to remind users that they are not human and direct people that are experiencing a crisis to support services.<\/p>\n
The crackdown comes as China faces a worsening demographic crisis. The country\u2019s population declined in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year, while its birthrate fell to a record low, according to The Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n
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China\u2019s restrictions go further than similar laws in California and New York. (izusek\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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At the same time, Beijing is also seeking to expand its influence over the future of artificial intelligence worldwide.<\/p>\n
At a major technology conference in Shanghai on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted open-source AI and pledged to help developing countries build their capabilities. Xi also warned that unequal access to AI could create “new historical injustices,” according to Reuters.<\/p>\n
Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
#China #targets #chatbot #romances #population #crisis #deepens #report<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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