China launches campaign to combat AI-generated fake news

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced a campaign to purge the internet of AI-generated fake news, as reported by The Register.

The regulator’s focus includes content-creation methods that trigger emotions to attract attention and traffic for unscrupulous ends. It cited virtual AI hosts, fake studio scenes, fake news accounts, and the distortion of real stories.

The CAC said it had already blocked 107,000 fake accounts and 835,000 items of misinformation. The regulator urged citizens to report fakes they encounter online.

Earlier, Chinese police detained a man suspected of creating a fake news report about a train derailment using ChatGPT. He was charged with violating the AI-media law.

The motive was to drive traffic.

In January, China enacted a law that bans the creation of deepfakes without the subject’s consent or to the detriment of national interests.

In April, the CAC published a draft of rules aimed at regulating generative artificial intelligence algorithms.

In the same month, Chinese tech giant Tencent unveiled a platform for creating digital humans. The synthesis of doppelgängers takes about 24 hours and costs $145.