Goa, July 7 -- China is set to tighten its grip on artificial intelligence with a new set of regulations targeting AI companionship platforms and customisable chatbot personas. Beginning July 15, several of the country's leading technology companies will either remove or significantly limit features that allow users to create virtual companions, including AI girlfriends and AI family members, in an effort to comply with Beijing's latest rules on anthropomorphic AI.

Major Chinese technology firms, including Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent, have already announced changes to their AI chatbot services. ByteDance's popular chatbot Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen will disable persona customisation features from July 15, while Tencent confirmed it ha...