China Arrests Man for Spreading Fake News Generated by ChatGPT
Chinese authorities have arrested a man in Gansu province for allegedly using the artificial intelligence (AI) platform ChatGPT to create and spread fake news on several social media platforms. The suspect, identified only as Hong, was charged with fabricating "false and untrue information" using the AI technology. The authorities began investigating Hong after 20 accounts shared a false story about a train accident on Baidu, a Chinese social media platform. Hong reportedly faces up to ten years in prison for violating Chinese social media rules by publishing fake news, although a legal defense could reduce his sentence to five years if it can be proven that the AI-generated story did not result in serious harm to the public.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), this is the first time that a Chinese individual has been arrested for using ChatGPT. The government has been cracking down on deep fake and generative AI technologies and has issued regulations to prevent their misuse. In January, it released the Administrative Provisions on Deep Synthesis for Internet Information Service, which introduced severe penalties for unethical use of these technologies in China. Meanwhile, homegrown generative AI projects such as Alibaba's Tongyi Qianwen have received the government's approval, although it remains unclear whether such platforms possess the creative capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
As AI technology continues to evolve, companies are taking steps to ensure its ethical use. Last week, Samsung banned its staff from using generative AI platforms on work devices after a leaked source code raised security concerns. Similarly, Spotify removed thousands of AI-generated songs from its streaming platforms in response to complaints from music companies about intellectual property and copyright issues. Such concerns raise a larger question of how emerging technologies like AI will impact society.
CoinGeek Roundtable discusses how AI, ChatGPT, and Blockchain could be used together.
