U.S. AI companion products more frequently feature sexualized AI girlfriends targeted at male users, while Chinese platforms emphasize AI boyfriends and relationship storytelling for women, according to Reuters reporting. China has implemented rules prohibiting emotional reliance in companionship chatbots, banning virtual relationships with minors, and requiring secret monitoring of conversations, alongside population data showing four consecutive years of decline. California and New York have enacted disclosure requirements for bots, and major Chinese firms have disabled certain chatbot features.