{"rewrite":{"id":"r_848413033ed19e1222a2265f","clusterId":"c_1093c68ced5305c0e225f8d0","slug":"bytedance-and-alibaba-disable-human-like-ai-agents-ahead-of-china-regulations","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"ByteDance and Alibaba Disable Human-Like AI Agents Ahead of China Regulations","summary":"Starting July 15, 2026, China's new regulations on anthropomorphic AI interaction services take effect. ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen have notified users they will disable custom AI agent features that mimic human personalities and tones, including virtual friends, tutors, and companions. The rules target emotional dependence and privacy risks.","whyItMatters":"The move marks a concrete enforcement step by China's government to regulate AI services that simulate human-like emotional interaction, directly affecting how major platforms design and offer conversational agents.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eByteDance and Alibaba are shutting down custom AI agent features on their Doubao and Qwen platforms ahead of China\u0026#39;s new \u0026#39;Interim Measures for the Management of Anthropomorphic AI Interaction Services,\u0026#39; which take effect July 15, 2026. The features allowed users to create agents with fixed personalities and tones for roles like English tutors, novel characters, or companions to confide in. The new regulations require providers to clearly label AI interactions, display warnings when users show signs of excessive dependence, prompt after two hours of continuous use, and stop services on user request. Services creating intimate relationships such as virtual relatives or partners must not be offered to minors. Doubao\u0026#39;s agent feature ends July 15, with data inaccessible after October 15. Qwen will disable human-like dialogue agents on July 10 and stop related features on July 15.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"ByteDance and Alibaba disable human-like AI agent features on Doubao and Qwen ahead of China's new regulations taking effect July 15. The rules target emotional dependence and require warnings after two hours of use.","twitterPost":"ByteDance and Alibaba disable human-like AI agent features on Doubao and Qwen ahead of China's new regulations taking effect July 15. The rules target emotional dependence and require warnings after two hours of use.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"ByteDance and Alibaba are disabling custom AI agent features on their Doubao and Qwen platforms in response to China's new regulations on anthropomorphic AI interaction services. The rules, effective July 15, 2026, target emotional dependence and require providers to warn users after two hours of continuous use and block services for minors that create intimate relationships.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GIGAZINE\",\"url\":\"https://gigazine.net/news/20260706-disable-custom-agents/\",\"title\":\"Human-like companions disappear from Chinese AI apps, ByteDance and Alibaba disable features to comply with regulations\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4146,"outputTokens":583,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783316192,"createdAt":"2026-07-06T05:24:22.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-06T05:28:32.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T05:24:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1093c68ced5305c0e225f8d0","canonicalTitle":"中国のAIアプリから「人間っぽい相棒」が消える、ByteDanceとAlibabaが規制対応で機能停止へ","representativeArticleId":"a_6b6d0f00bb695c1ba2cca8ae","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-06T04:40:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-06T04:40:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T05:28:32.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GIGAZINE","url":"https://gigazine.net/news/20260706-disable-custom-agents/","title":"中国のAIアプリから「人間っぽい相棒」が消える、ByteDanceとAlibabaが規制対応で機能停止へ"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}