China's Temporary Rules For Artificial Intelligence Activities And Management (AI) Applicable On August 15

China launched rules on AI on August 15. (photo: dock. Pixabay)

JAKARTA -- The first regulatory guidelines related to artificial intelligence (AI) activities and management in China are scheduled to take effect on August 15.

This regulation, published on July 10, is known as "General AI Measures" and is the result of joint efforts by six government agencies including China's Cybersecurity Administration (CAC), the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

This will be the first set of AI rules implemented in the country following the recent AI development boom and will be overseen by institutions creating these measures.

In these 24 guidelines include measures that will require platforms that provide AI services to register and follow security reviews before being released to the public. The Chinese government will also order the use of labels for artificially created content. Earlier this year, China banned images produced by AI from its President, Xi Jinping.

In addition, this regulation requires that all data and basic models must come from "legitimate sources" who respect the intellectual property rights of creators, have proper consent and do not threaten user privacy. These guidelines will also make service providers responsible for anything generated through their platforms.

The draft version of the regulation, which was re-released in April, includes a special money fine for anyone who deviates from the guide, although it has been removed since then. Instead, service providers must deal with problematic content within a three-month period.

This regulation aims to create a midpoint between state control over technology and a friendly environment for innovation in the sector. China has actively developed an AI background, with local tech giants like Alibaba creating rivals to the popular chatbot ChatGPT.

China has also been involved in a silent confrontation with the United States in terms of developing a high-performance AI system and the chip that powers it. Meanwhile, the US has just begun to consider regulating AI, without concrete guidance which is expected to take effect in the near future.

On June 14, the European Union parliament approved the AI Act Bill, which is a comprehensive legislative framework for member states regarding AI regulation. Before becoming law, EU members will be able to negotiate on final details. Since the bill was approved, major technology companies have asked EU officials to relax the rules regarding the open-source AI model.