China Finalizes Anthropomorphic AI Rules: Companion Bots Face Mandatory Addiction Monitoring, Effective July 15

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China's Cyberspace Administration published the Interim Measures for Anthropomorphic AI Interactive Services, effective July 15, 2026. Companion bots and emotional virtual assistants must implement mandatory addiction monitoring and emotion-state checks. This is the first major regulatory framework specifically targeting AI companionship products, and could influence how companies like Character.AI and Replika operate if they seek Chinese market access.