China AI chat apps pull agent features ahead of emotional-companion rules
By MLex Staff ( July 10, 2026, 08:56 GMT | Insight) -- China's leading artificial-intelligence chatbot providers are removing intelligent agent functions from their flagship consumer apps ahead of sweeping new rules governing AI virtual companions and emotional-support services, as companies grapple with complex compliance requirements before the regulation takes effect. ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba Group's Qianwen have recently announced plans to discontinue their AI agent services on July 15. Tencent's Yuanbao and NetEase Cloud Music's Miaoshi announced similar moves in June, with the functions scheduled to go offline by June 30 and July 14, respectively.China's leading artificial-intelligence chatbot providers are removing intelligent agent functions from their flagship consumer apps ahead of sweeping new rules governing AI virtual companions and emotional-support services, as companies grapple with complex compliance requirements before the regulation takes effect....
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