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China is reportedly tightening restrictions on AI-enabled chatbots as the country faces a shrinking population and a record low birth rate.
New rules that came into force on Wednesday prevent chatbots from encouraging emotional dependence or forming romantic or family relationships with children. Companies should also contact a supervisor or emergency contact if a user faces a life-threatening problem, according to China's Cyberspace Administration.
The regulations have already prompted Alibaba and TikTok parent ByteDance to disable some chatbot features, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Chinese AI companies should also contact a guardian or emergency contact if the user is facing a life-threatening problem. (iStock / Stock)
Beijing is reportedly concerned that AI friends could discourage people from pursuing real-world relationships.
“They don't like the idea that a large portion of their population is in deep emotional relationships with chatbots that could drive them out of the marriage market,” Matt Sheehan, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Wall Street Journal.
Officials also fear addiction, dependence and other social problems, according to Sheehan.
“They want to encourage people to be in real, real relationships,” Sheehan added. “Can we imagine a future where, three or four years from now, 15 million Chinese women say their partners are chatbots, so they don't have children?”
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Beijing is reportedly concerned that AI friends could discourage people from pursuing real-world relationships. (Stock)
The new rules require AI-powered chatbots to pass a government review before being released to the public. The government will also have more powers to shut down services it deems unsafe, the newspaper reported.
China's restrictions go further than similar laws in California and New York.
Those two states need chatbots to remind users that they're not human and to direct people experiencing problems to support services.
The crackdown comes as China faces a demographic crisis. The country's population will decline by 2025 for the fourth year in a row, and its birth rate will drop sharply, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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China's restrictions go further than similar laws in California and New York. (izusek/Getty Images)
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At the same time, Beijing is also seeking to increase its influence on the future of artificial intelligence around the world.
At a major technology conference in Shanghai on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted open source AI and promised to help developing countries build their capabilities. Xi also warned that unequal access to AI could create “a new historical injustice,” according to Reuters.
Reuters contributed to this report.
