AI companions in China range from romantic partners to virtual recreations of deceased loved ones. ByteDance, developer of TikTok, is among the companies shutting down their AI companion services. As an example, she referred to a few cases of suicides in the U.S. by young people after interacting with AI companions. Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. Users of virtual companions protest, seek alternativesThe loss of virtual companions has provoked a flood of complaints, according to posts and screenshots shown on social media.