China has issued new guidelines for generative AI services, restricting their public use while promoting industrial development.
Portal reported that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) softened its stance compared to April’s draft rule. These new transitional arrangements will come into effect on August 15. The guidelines only apply to organizations that provide generative AI services to the public. Other companies developing the same technology but not for the mass market are not covered by the measures.
The rules (translated via Google Translate) retain some wording from the April proposal. They go on to say that generative AI services must “conform to the core values of socialism” and not seek to overthrow state power or the socialist system. CNN reported that the new rules eliminate potential fines of up to 100,000 yuan ($13,999) for violators.
China has been looking for ways to bolster its generative AI offerings, hoping to become the leader and overthrow current US dominance.
However, this is not easy for China, a country notoriously controlling Internet access and the spread of information within its borders. The government had ordered its tech giant not to access ChatGPT for fear the chatbot might give “uncensored answers,” even though the tool isn’t available in China. Authorities also cracked down on citizens using ChatGPT, arresting a man who allegedly used the chatbot to write fake articles.
China’s generative AI rules also recognize the importance of intellectual property rights over training data, prohibiting the use of “algorithms, data, platforms and other advantages to enforce monopoly and unfair competition.” All training data must come from sources the government deems legitimate. Service providers must accept requests from individuals to review or correct information collected for AI models.
The Chinese government said it will encourage the development of generative AI, including supporting infrastructure and public education.