Chinese officials have indicated how generative AI is regulated in the country, writing in recently published draft guidelines that the software “should reflect the core values of socialism,” CNBC reports. The proposed rules have been published by the Cyberspace Administration of China as it seeks public comment and provides key pointers on how the country’s harsh speech rules apply to ChatGPT’s domestically developed competitors.
In addition to reflecting socialist values, the draft rules (translated via Google Translate) state that generative AI must not attempt to subvert state power, overthrow the socialist system, or undermine national unity. Promoting terrorism, extremism or ethnic hatred is also prohibited, along with distributing “false information” or content that may “disrupt the economic and social order”.
There are guidelines on how to design algorithms in a way that prevents discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics. And bloomberg He noted that the country plans to conduct security reviews of generative AI services before allowing them to be widely launched in the country.
The publication of the draft guidelines comes as Chinese companies have indicated their intention to develop native alternatives to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Alibaba owns Tongyi Qianwen, which it plans to integrate into its productivity software, while Baidu recently announced its own software called Ernie bot.
Government restrictions mean that China already has a distinct online ecosystem of apps and services. Western search and social media giants are largely banned from the country, allowing local companies to dominate the field. Now, it looks like this will continue into a new generation of generative AI services. Nikki Asia I previously reported that Chinese users had to resort to VPNs in order to access the US-developed ChatGPT and that Tencent blocked third-party attempts to integrate the generative AI tool into WeChat. China Dailythe country’s largest English-language newspaper, warned that ChatGPT could “Amplify American disinformation.”
China is keen to promote the development of home-grown alternatives to artificial intelligence amid rising tensions with the United States over its access to powerful technologies such as cutting-edge semiconductors needed to train AI systems. But there is a tension here with the state’s restrictive approach to censorship. “I see that Chinese regulators are quite cautious in their regulatory approach in order to give more space to the development of generative AI in the country,” said Angela Zhang, a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. bloomberg.
At least one Chinese AI tool has restricted its ability to create content related to political topics. last year, MIT Technology Review It reported that Baidu’s text-to-image generator ERNIE-ViLG refused to create images of Tiananmen Square or other political leaders and instead described them as “sensitive”.