China has become the first country to issue regulations on generative AI models, set to go into effect in August. The new law comes after the provisional regulations were published by seven Chinese regulators and is the most detailed regulation of this type in the world. Companies that offer generative AI services are to adhere to core socialist values and need to restrict minors from becoming addicted to such services.
Chinese firms are yet to roll out their ChatGPT -style services to the public. Baidu’s Ernie Bot and Alibaba Group Holding’s Tongyi Qianwen are either in trial mode or are only available for business usage. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard models are still unavailable in China. As per the latest regulations, companies that offer generative AI services will need to “adhere to core socialist values”. The law has also warned AI service providers from generating 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”.
