China's cyberspace regulator issued draft regulations on Friday to oversee the online development of “digital humans”, mandating clear labeling and banning services that could mislead children or cause addiction, Reuters reports.
The rules proposed by the Cyberspace Administration of China would impose visible “digital human” labels on all content involving virtual people and would prohibit them from offering “virtual intimate relationships” to people under 18, according to the document released for public consultation until May 6.
Digital people are considered virtual entities created with the help of artificial intelligence and computer graphics that mimic the appearance, voice and behavior of a real person as realistically as possible. In short, they are digital versions of human beings, sometimes completely fictitious, sometimes inspired or copied from real people.
The technologies behind it include large-scale language models (such as the one on which ChatGPT is based), speech synthesis, motion capture or realistic 3D creations.
China does not want “digital people” to undermine its national unity
The draft regulations would also ban the use of other people's personal information to create digital humans without consent or the use of virtual humans to circumvent identity verification systems, reflecting Beijing's efforts to maintain control amid advances in artificial intelligence.
Digital People are also prohibited from broadcasting content that endangers national security, incites the subversion of state power, promotes secession or undermines national unity, the draft rules said.
Service providers are advised to prevent and combat sexually explicit content, which presents horror, cruelty or incites discrimination based on ethnicity or region, according to the document. They are also encouraged to take the necessary steps to intervene and provide specialist assistance when users show suicidal or self-harming tendencies.
China has made clear its ambitions to aggressively adopt artificial intelligence across its economy with its new five-year plan issued last month. This direction comes in parallel with tightening governance in a booming sector to ensure safety and alignment with the country's socialist values.
The new rules aim to fill a regulatory vacuum in the digital people sector by setting clear boundaries for the healthy development of the industry, according to an analysis published on the regulator's website.
“Governance of digital virtual people is no longer just a matter of industrial norms; it has become a strategic scientific issue concerning the security of cyberspace, public interests and the high-quality development of the digital economy,” the analysis also states.
