China to Mandate Security Reviews for ChatGPT-Like Services
(Bloomberg) — China plans to require a security review of generative AI services before they’re allowed to operate, casting uncertainty over ChatGPT-like bots unveiled by the country’s largest tech companies including Baidu Inc.
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Providers of services must ensure content is accurate and respects intellectual property, and neither discriminates nor endangers security, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in draft guidelines seeking public feedback. AI operators must also clearly label AI-generated content, the country’s internet overseer said in a statement posted on its website.
The CAC’s requirements add to Beijing’s growing attempts to regulate the explosive growth of generative AI since OpenAI’s ChatGPT fired up the industry in November. Companies from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to SenseTime Group Inc. and Baidu all aim to build the definitive next-generation AI platform for the world’s largest internet market. That mirrors a growing wave of development abroad with Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp. among the many tech companies exploring generative AI, which can create original content from poetry to art just with simple user prompts.
Alibaba shares gave up much of their initial gains on Tuesday after the CAC announcement, while SenseTime was down slightly. The larger e-commerce company on Tuesday described how it planned to build generative AI into its Slack-like work app and Amazon Echo-like smart speakers, before expanding that portfolio to its other services. A day before, SenseTime demonstrated the large AI model SenseNova and a user-facing chatbot called SenseChat.
That followed Baidu Inc.’s Ernie bot, which was released for selective testing about a month ago. The company — considered the current domestic leader — was down 7% in Hong Kong.
Read more: Alibaba Enters ChatGPT Fray With AI Speaker, Slack-Like App
In addition, the powerful regulator stressed that AI services must be transparent about the data and algorithms used in training their large-scale models, reinforcing Beijing’s focus on maintaining control over sensitive and valuable information.
“Service providers should provide certain…
