China has recently introduced new regulations that could serve as a guideline for controlling generative A.I., particularly the technology behind popular chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. These regulations, announced by the country’s top internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), will apply to all publicly available chatbots. However, generative A.I. research and technologies developed for use outside China are exempt from these rules.
Although major Chinese tech companies such as Alibaba and Baidu have not yet made their generative A.I. tools available to the public, experts believe that they were waiting for the government to release the final regulations before doing so. Currently, Chinese versions of generative A.I. chatbots and image generators are still in development or being tested by B2B customers.
Under the new regulations, developers will be required to register their algorithms with the Chinese government and undergo a security assessment if their services are considered to have the ability to influence public opinion. This policy aligns with existing Chinese censorship efforts. Furthermore, the regulations emphasize the need to adhere to core socialist values and outline both illegal and protected uses of generative A.I. For example, using generative A.I. to promote terrorism or disseminate obscene pornography is banned, while companies and users are prohibited from employing the technology to subvert the state power, damage the country’s image, or undermine national unity.
Domestic national security concerns related to A.I. have been highlighted at the highest levels of the Chinese government. In May, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a new pattern of development with a new security architecture to address the challenges posed by A.I. to national security.
The new regulations were drafted by the CAC and approved by seven other agencies, including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State General Administration of Radio and Television. This broad involvement of state agencies suggests that the Chinese government aims for A.I. to be utilized by various industries across the country, as outlined in the policy. These regulations come amidst an escalating A.I. arms race between China and the United States. Chinese officials have identified A.I. development as an economic priority for 2023.
The updated regulations introduced on Thursday offer insight into how other countries, including the United States, can navigate the complexities surrounding generative A.I. Some of the key issues addressed by the regulations include copyright infringement and data protection. Notably, the regulations explicitly require generative A.I. companies to respect intellectual property rights, reflecting a recent case in the United States where comedian Sarah Silverman sued OpenAI and Meta for using her copyrighted work to train their machine learning models.
The CAC’s new policy also aims to protect the privacy rights of individual users. Generative A.I. platforms in China will be responsible for safeguarding personal information if users choose to disclose it while using the services. Companies planning to collect or store protected information will need to provide users with a terms of service agreement to clarify their rights. While terms of service are common for various tech applications, they are not yet legally mandated for generative A.I. platforms in the United States. Additionally, all existing Chinese privacy protection laws will apply to A.I. according to the released regulations. These provisions could serve as significant examples for the United States, which currently lacks comprehensive data protection legislation.
These recently released regulations offer insights into China’s global aspirations regarding A.I. and the policies that may eventually be implemented worldwide to regulate its use. Developers and suppliers, such as chipmakers, are encouraged to contribute to the development of international rules related to generative artificial intelligence.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously suggested that China would be open to establishing a cooperative international framework for A.I. regulation, a topic he discussed with Chinese officials during his recent visit to the country.
