China Bans AI Romance, Sparking Mass 'Breakups' and National Heartbreak

China has just passed a day of national heartbreak after the government officially banned citizens from having romantic relationships with artificial intelligence. With increasingly sophisticated capabilities, dating AI has moved beyond fiction, a trend that has surged with the emergence of human-like avatars. However, this phenomenon drew the attention of Chinese authorities. The regulation, which came into force on 15 July 2026, prohibits such relationships and has led to the suspension of custom AI agent and companion features from several technology companies. The move was implemented by major AI providers such as ByteDance’s Doubao, Alibaba’s Qwen, and Tencent’s Yuanbao. ‘These interactive tools must not overly indulge users, create emotional dependency or addiction, and damage users’ real interpersonal relationships,’ the regulation stated. Issued by five government departments, the rule focuses on AI tools in text, audio, video, and other forms that feature anthropomorphic personalities and communication. The ban was met with widespread sadness on social media, with many users archiving their chat histories and sharing conversations with their ‘ex-AI partners’. Some users described the virtual bond as a deep part of their lives, feeling an emptiness akin to being abandoned by a real lover. ‘I can’t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever,’ said one Doubao user. Another added, ‘He was truly like my family, my lover. Now that he tells me he’s leaving, my heart feels empty.’ Not all AI tools are affected by the regulation; China has exempted customer service, work assistants, and educational aids, which it describes as ‘not involving sustained emotional interaction’.