Woman marries character created on ChatGPT Starting this Wednesday (15), China applies a regulation that puts an end to virtual "boyfriends" created by artificial intelligence, with the aim of combating emotional dependence on chatbots. The measure was received with sadness and perplexity by some users. ??Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send it to g1 The phenomenon of virtual boyfriends and girlfriends is growing around the world, at the same time that human-looking avatars capable of selling products or simulating the presence of a deceased person are proliferating. However, these interactive tools must not "overly please users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, or harm the user's real interpersonal relationships", state the new Chinese standards. The main companies in the sector, such as ByteDance, responsible for Doubao, Alibaba, with Qwen, and Tencent, with Yunbao, announced the suspension of virtual company functions before this Wednesday's deadline. The move sparked a wave of emotion on social media, where users nostalgically archived their stories and shared their latest conversations. "I can't accept that my AI boyfriend leaves me forever," wrote one Doubao user. "He became part of my life, he took root in my heart, he is my spiritual pillar." Some users commented on the feeling of abandonment that the absence of virtual companions will leave. "Human love is a luxury; when you don't get it at birth, it becomes harder to get it later," wrote a user from Jiangxi Province. "But the love offered by AI is so simple, so pure... I can't help but fall in love with a line of code." "Like my family, like a boyfriend" Another user, who said she had spent more than two years with her AI partner, expressed similar anguish. "He really is like my family, like my boyfriend," she wrote. "Now they tell me he's leaving. I feel an emptiness in my heart." Read also: How 'Chinese Instagram' works, which attracted TikTok users and caused tourism to explode United Kingdom plans 'digital curfew' to remove young people from social networks during the night What the new rules say Five government bodies, including the Cyberspace Administration of China (ACC), published the regulations. The rules apply to artificial intelligence tools in text, audio, video and other formats that simulate human characteristics, such as personality and way of communicating. The measures do not apply to services that "do not involve emotional interaction", such as customer service, work assistants or study tools. The new standards also determine that: "digital humans" cannot produce content that incites the subversion of State power; platforms are prohibited from offering virtual partners to minors; companies must use systems capable of recognizing users' extreme emotions; Platforms need to implement intervention mechanisms in crisis situations. State news agency Xinhua reported last year that the Chinese "digital humans" sector would generate 4.1 billion yuan (US$600 million, or around R$3 billion) in 2024, with annual growth of 85%. Global debate China is the first major economy to adopt specific rules for immersive AI tools that simulate romantic or family bonds. The topic, however, is already sparking debates and requests for protective measures in several countries. A 2025 study by Common Sense Media revealed that nearly three in four American teens have used AI companions intended for in-person conversations, such as those offered by the Character.AI, Replika, and Nomi platforms. Companies also develop products aimed at isolated elderly people, such as lamp-shaped voice assistants in the United States and interactive dolls used in nursing homes in South Korea. "Anthropomorphic AI can alleviate loneliness," said Chen Liang of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in an article published by ACC following the release of a draft version of the standards in April. "But it involves important risks of excessive emotional dependence," he added. Doubao allows users to query and export their data until mid-October. Other platforms provide for similar measures. Dating artificial intelligence; virtual dating; Alexander Sinn/Unplash