China is worried AI threatens party rule—and is trying to tame it

Beijing is enforcing tough rules to ensure chatbots don’t misbehave, while hoping its models stay competitive

- Stu Woo

China is trying to dictate the ingredients that go into the AI bowl, and then it tastes the dish before it is served.

(REUTERS)

Concerned that artificial intelligence could threaten Communist Party rule, Beijing is taking extraordinary steps to keep it under control.

Although China’s government sees AI as crucial to the country’s economic and military future, regulations and recent purges of online content show it also fears AI could destabilize society. Chatbots pose a particular problem: Their ability to think for themselves could generate responses that spur people to question party rule.

In November, Beijing formalized rules it has been working on with AI companies to ensure their chatbots are trained on data filtered for politically sensitive content, and that they can pass an ideological test before going public. All AI-generated texts, videos and images must be explicitly labeled and traceable, making it easier to track and punish anyone spreading undesirable content.

Authorities recently said they removed 960,000 pieces of what they regarded as illegal or harmful AI-generated content during three months of an enforcement campaign. Authorities have officially classified AI as a major potential threat, adding it alongside earthquakes and epidemics to its National Emergency Response Plan.

Chinese authorities don’t want to regulate too much, people familiar with the government’s thinking said. Doing so could extinguish innovation and condemn China to second-tier status in the global AI race behind the US., which is taking a more hands-off approach toward policing AI.

But Beijing also can’t afford to let AI run amok. Chinese leader Xi Jinping said earlier this year that AI brought “unprecedented risks,” according to state media. A lieutenant called AI without safety like driving on a highway without brakes.