China introduces new rules on generative artificial intelligence

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – China Thursday issued what it said "world’s earliest and most detailed regulations" on generative artificial intelligence (AI) models by highlighting healthy content and “core socialist values,” as Beijing seeks to control the rollout of ChatGPT-style services.

According to provisional regulations published jointly by seven Chinese regulators, led by the Cyberspace Administration of China, which will come into effect on August 15, all generative AI content services, including text, pictures, audio, and video, provided to the Chinese public will be subject to the new rules, daily South China Morning Post reported.

In comparison with a previous draft published in April soliciting public feedback, the new regulations have a "more supportive" tone on the new technology, with authorities pledging “to take effective measures to encourage innovative development of generative AI.”

The fines ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 yuan for offenses related to the technology have been abolished in the new draft.

China has yet to allow any domestic firms to roll out ChatGPT-style services to the public, with Baidu’s Ernie Bot and Alibaba Group Holding’s Tongyi Qianwen either still in trial mode or for business use only.

Chinese regulators said they will take an “inclusive and prudent” attitude towards generative AI services and implement a “graded” regulatory approach.

Under the new regulations, generative AI service providers must “adhere to core socialist values” and not generate any content that “incites subversion of state power and the overthrow of the socialist system, endangers national security and interests, damages the image of the country, incites secession from the country, undermines national unity and social stability, promotes terrorism, extremism, national hatred and ethnic discrimination, violence, obscenity, and pornography.”

According to the new rules, generative AI service providers must stop operations and report illegal activities if they find that users are employing AI to produce illegal content on their platforms. AI services providers must also set guardrails to prevent minors from becoming addicted to such services.