China proposes rules to combat AI companion addiction
THE DECODERDEC 2025
China Issues Draft Rules to Regulate AI
Is China's AI regulation forward-looking governance protecting citizens, or authoritarian control stifling innovation?
Above: People visit the 2025 Global Artificial Intelligence Machines and Electronics Expo AIE in Macao on Dec. 4, 2025. Image credit: Xinhua/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
China's forward-looking governance protects citizens from emotional manipulation and overdependence while supporting innovation. The measures establish precise risk controls to address the blurring of human-machine boundaries, ensuring that technological development remains safe and sustainable. This systematic approach offers a practical reference for global governance of emerging technologies.
Anti-China narrative
Beijing's AI crackdown reveals authoritarian fears that chatbots threaten Communist Party control, not genuine concern for users. The regime removed nearly a million pieces of content and demands ideological tests for chatbots, prioritizing political stability over innovation. These extraordinary control measures risk extinguishing creativity and leaving China behind in the global AI race.
Metaculus Prediction
The Controversies
Establishment split
CRITICAL
PRO
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0