News

Business

On HALO

1 day ago

China cracks down on chatbot romances as birthrate crisis worsens: report

China is reportedly tightening restrictions on AI companion chatbots as the country grapples with a shrinking population and record-low birthrate.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.The regulations have already prompted Alibaba and TikTok parent ByteDance to disable certain chatbot features, The Wall Street Journal...