China issues first arrest over fake news created with ChatGPT: Report
Alleged fake news poster becomes first person in China arrested for using artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT.
A suspect identified only as âHongâ was detained by local authorities and arrested in the Gansu district of China after allegedly using ChatGPT to generate fake news stories.Â
According to a report from the South China Morning Post, Hong was detained after an investigation into an unsubstantiated article relating to a train crash was discovered on April 18 by law enforcement agents.
Hongâs arrest for âusing artificial intelligence technology to concoct false and untrue informationâ came after cybersecurity specialists discovered at least 20 accounts had simultaneously posted the fake news article to a popular blogging site hosted by Chinese tech conglomerate Baidu.
Chinaâs laws regarding the use of social media are considered among the strictest in the world. Police say Hong was arrested for running afoul of an ordinance against âpicking quarrels and provoking trouble,â a catch-all law that specifically covers spreading fake news and rumors on the internet.
If charged, Hong faces up to five years in prison under the normal statute. However, if courts view the offense as egregious, they could be sentenced to as many as 10 years under the lawâs extended provisions covering crimes considered especially severe.
While the ChatGPT service is currently banned in China, its use can be obfuscated by virtual private networks (VPNs).
Related: China is developing AI without US chips: Hereâs how
Similar homegrown artificial intelligence (AI) services, such as Alibabaâs âTongyi Qianwen,â a recently announced generative AI model trained to answer questions in both English and Mandarin, have received the Chinese governmentâs blessing. However, as Cointelegraph reported in mid-April, it remains unclear whether Tongyi Qianwen will have the same creative abilities as ChatGPT.
The lack of robust generative AI models in China could potentially have a chilling effect on the nationâs tech scene, especially in sectors such as fintech and cryptocurrency trading, where the use of ChatGPT and products built on OpenAIâs GPT API have exploded into popularity.