China's AI Companion Apps Disable Custom Features Ahead of New Rules
ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen, two major consumer AI apps in China, are disabling custom AI agent features ahead of Beijing's new rules on humanlike AI interaction services, effective 15 July. Users will lose access to chat histories and agent settings. The move follows Tencent's removal of a similar feature in June.
Key points
- ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen are disabling custom AI agent features ahead of China's new rules on humanlike AI interaction services, effective 15 July.
- Users will lose access to chat histories and agent settings, with related data becoming unrecoverable after 15 October.
- The rules target bots offering sustained emotional interaction, while sparing workplace and productivity agents.
- Tencent removed a similar feature from its Yuanbao assistant in June, with users protesting the loss of chat histories.
- The move is part of China's efforts to regulate AI interaction services, with the new rules set to take effect on 15 July.
China's AI Companion Apps Disable Custom Features Ahead of New Rules
China's tech giants, ByteDance and Alibaba, are disabling custom AI agent features in their consumer apps, Doubao and Qwen, ahead of Beijing's new rules on humanlike AI interaction services. The move is part of China's efforts to regulate AI interaction services, with the new rules set to take effect on 15 July.
The rules target bots offering sustained emotional interaction, while sparing workplace and productivity agents. Users will lose access to chat histories and agent settings, with related data becoming unrecoverable after 15 October.
This is not the first time a major Chinese tech company has removed a similar feature. Tencent removed a similar feature from its Yuanbao assistant in June, with users protesting the loss of chat histories.
The impact of these changes remains to be seen, but it is clear that China is taking a closer look at AI interaction services. As the tech industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how companies adapt to these new regulations.
Sources
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