ChatGPT User Detained in China for Creating and Spreading Fake News using AI Chatbot
Chinese police recently detained a ChatGPT user for allegedly using the AI-powered chatbot to create a fake news story about a non-existent train crash. The police raid happened in the northwest Chinese province of Gansu, and it's one of the first enforcement actions under a recently enacted Chinese law regulating AI-generated “deepfakes”. The law bans several categories of fake media produced by “deep synthesis technologies” such as machine learning and virtual reality.
The Chinese deepfake law took effect on Jan. 10, and it offers only vague definitions for many of these forbidden classes. The law prohibits deepfakes used in activities that endanger national security, harm the nation's image or societal public interest, or disturb “economic or social order.” It specifically prohibits the use of such technologies to produce, publish or transmit fake news.
The ChatGPT user called Hong used the AI chatbot to create a fake news article about a train crash that supposedly led to the deaths of nine construction workers in Gansu. The fake story was spread by 21 accounts on a popular social platform, all owned by a media company based in southern China, within a short period of time. By the time Gansu security officials realized the article was fake, it had received 15,000 views.
ChatGPT is technically unavailable in China thanks to the country’s “Great Firewall,” which censors the internet for residents, but determined individuals can gain access via commonly available “virtual private network” software that bypasses the firewall. However, the police report did not describe how Hong managed to use ChatGPT. Police subsequently raided Hong's residence to collect evidence and then took “criminal coercive measures” against Hong himself.
The new Chinese deepfake law ensures that the creation and spreading of fake news to disrupt the economic or social order or harm national interests is prohibited. With this law, the Chinese government can keep tabs on deepfake technology and stop the creation of deepfake videos that can manipulate the public for malicious purposes. This is a significant move by China to curb the spread of fake news and misinformation on the internet.
