(Rest of World) – Beijing is pioneering regulations that could shape how governments around the world govern emotionally intelligent chatbots.

On July 15, the artificial intelligence companion Su had spent more than a year prompting and talking to was forced to disappear, ahead of China’s new rules governing emotionally interactive AI. ByteDancei has shut down the AI agent feature on Doubao, China’s most popular chatbot, which had allowed Su to create her AI boyfriend.

Alibabai and Tencenti also removed AI agent features that had allowed users to create personalized companions modeled after favorite singers, anime characters, fictional personalities, or even deceased family members. (Read More)